Belle Coccinelle et le Chat Bestial
by Cakedecorator
Summary: In homage to 2017's "Beauty And The Beast", here's the Miraculous Ladybug take on it! Marinette, nicknamed Ladybug, is the most beautiful girl in town. When her father becomes prisoner to a beast for plucking a rose, Marinette sacrifices herself of her father. But can she see beyond first impressions and appearances to see the prince behind the monstrous cat?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Miraculous fans! For those of you who have seen it, this is my take on Disney's 2017 version of Beauty and The Beast, starring Marinette and Adrien! The title is "Beautiful Ladybug and The Beastly Cat", but I Google Translated it into French!**

 **If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest turning back and not reading this until you see the film itself.**

 **There will be some changes to the plot as it demands, such as the prologue. I hope you enjoy it!  
**

* * *

 _Once upon a time, a king lived in a shining castle with his wife and son. The king was cold, aloof, and unkind. However, he was a well-meaning king, father and husband._

 _When his son was only five years old, tragedy struck the castle: the queen fell ill with plague. While the king ordered the most skilled doctors in the country to try and cure his wife, nothing could be done. She sadly passed on._

 _After her passing, the king grew stricter and harsher with his son. Complicating matters was that the prince was the spitting image of the queen. It got to the point where the king taxed the country to finance extravagant parties and to spoil his son._

 _Years later, the king held a very extravagant party in an attempt to match the young prince up with a young girl._

In a very elegantly-decorated ballroom, the king was standing next to his son, who was sitting in a golden chair. The prince was bored with the party. He himself was unsure of these events because it involved extreme taxation of the citizens, and felt guilty that while the citizens were suffering, he was shown the best life had to offer. He found it unfair to everyone else.

He also found the girls' overly-elaborate styles of dress and hair, combined with their obvious attempts to get his attention, to be quite unpleasant. The clincher was that his father would not let him have a say in the matter.

The music started playing. Ivan, the pianist, was a fairly tall and bulky man short, black hair that had a long tuft down his forehead that was blond. Myléne, the singer, was a short, chubby girl with golden eyes, and blonde hair that had several strands dyed in green, blue, and magenta. She was wearing clothing similar to the girls' that were in attendance.

 _"Oh, how divine. Glamor, music, and magic combine,"_ Myléne sang, as everyone started to dance. _"See the maidens so anxious to shine."_

The prince reluctantly started to dance with the girls. He was not really enjoying himself, but went along with it just to make his dad get off his case for the time being.

 _"Look for a sign that enhances chances. She'll be his special one."_ Myléne sang, as everyone started dancing a little faster.

 _"What a display. What a breathtaking, thrilling array! Every prince, every dog has his day!"_ Myléne sang, as she kept going faster along with the music.

Everyone else started dancing faster, too, while Myléne and Ivan kept going faster with the music.

 _"Let us sing with passion, gusto, fit to bust oh not a care in the world!"_ Myléne sang, as she trilled her voice and the music soon stopped.

However, there was very loud knocking was heard from the glass. Everyone turned around and as the door opened, the candles in the chandeliers went out and everyone went quiet.

The door opened, and a old woman wearing a cloak, and walking with a cane came in unannounced. She was holding a red rose in her hand.

 _However, one night at the party, an unexpected visitor arrived at the castle. An old beggar woman came in. She offered the king a single rose in return for shelter from the cold, bitter rain and thunder._

 _The king himself was disgusted at her haggard appearance. He merely sneered at the rose and turned her away._

 _The prince himself loved roses - it was his mother's favorite flower - and he found it quite beautiful. He was disgusted at his father for turning away a woman in need. The prince made his way over to her and told her she needed neither money nor a beautiful flower to get shelter - it was a basic need for everyone._

 _However, the king was baffled at his son's behavior. He once again dismissed the old woman, telling his son to kick her out. The prince was about to hold his ground and call his father out, but then the old woman's appearance vanished in a blast of light. Once the light died down, it was revealed that the woman was actually a gorgeous enchantress, with hair of red and eyes of sea foam green, bathed in a light of periwinkle and Bleu de France._

 _The king tried to apologize for his mistake, but the enchantress had seen that the king's heart was made of stone, due to the passing of his wife. The enchantress made to punish him with her magic._

 _However, the prince did something no one, not even the enchantress could have predicted: the prince ran in front of the enchantress and took the hit for his father._

 _The magic spell intended for his father transformed the prince into a monstrous beast. The magic then overtook the castle, and all who inhabited it._

 _The king demanded that the enchantress remove the magic. However, she sadly informed the king that she could not reverse the magic, and that the prince had to break the curse on his own. She revealed that her intention for the prince was to reward his kindness while punishing the king. But sadly, since she could not reward the prince, she decided to give the king an even worse punishment: rather than change him into a beast, the enchantress turned him into stone, to match the hardness of his heart. This was a magic spell that could not be broken, so the prince lost not only his human form, but his father too._

 _The enchantress disappeared, remorseful that she had unintentionally done this to the prince._

 _Ashamed of his newly-grotesque form, the prince concealed himself in the castle. He tore up pictures of himself, since they reminded him of who he once was._

 _The enchantress's magic also caused everyone outside the castle to lose all memory about the king and prince, which was another side affect._

 _The rose that she had offered was an enchanted rose without a doubt. It would continue to bloom until the prince's eighteenth year._

 _If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return before the rose's final petal fell, then the curse would be broken. If not, he would be fated to remain a beast for all time. His passing would not set his friends free. The enchantress had confidence in the prince that he would be able to break the spell._

 _As the years passed, the prince lost hope. The question that was not only on his mind, but everyone else's, was this: who could ever learn to love a beast?  
_

* * *

 _13 Years Later..._

In a village nearby the castle, the sun was coming up. One cottage in particular was the focus.

The door opened and out came a girl. She had bluish-black hair pulled back into low pigtails behind her. Her eyes were a beautiful bluebell color and she had fair skin with a healthy blush. She was wearing a red dress with black spots, and red shoes. She was holding a book.

She walked down the stairs that came to her cottage, and saw that it was a beautiful day out.

 _"Little town. It's a quiet village. Every day, like the one before,"_ She sang. _"Little town, full of little people. Waking up to say..."_

Once the huge clock tower started chiming at 8 AM on the dot, the town soon got active, and everyone was singing, _"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!"_

 _"There goes the baker with his tray, like always,"_ She sang, watching the baker going by with all of his breads and desserts. She stopped him briefly to buy some herself. _"The same old bread and rolls to sell."_

 _"Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came, to this poor, provincial town."_ She sang, before encountering one of her neighbors.

"Hi, Marinette!" Someone said, stopping her. He was a somewhat portly old man with gray hair, and was wearing a hat.

"Morning, Monsieur Dominick. Did you lose something again?" Marinette asked.

"I think I have. Trouble is, I can't remember what it is," He said, causing Marinette to laugh. "Anyway, where are you going?"

"To return this book to Sister Bustier. It's about to lovers in Verona, Italy." Marinette said.

"Sounds like a snore-fest to me." Dominick said.

Marinette passed by the schoolhouse. The young boys were watching her go, singing, _"Look, there she goes. That girl is strange, no question._

 _"Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"_ The headmaster said, ushering the boys inside. Meanwhile, Marinette hopped along some rocks on a pond.

 _"Never part of any crowd, cause her head's up on some cloud. No denying she's a strange one, Marinette."_ The women and little girls at the fountain sang, as they were doing the laundry.

At the marketplace, everyone else was going about their business.

 _"Bonjour, good day. How is your family?"_ The fishmonger asked a woman.

 _"Bonjour, good day. How is your wife?"_ The woman asked in reply, to the chagrin of the fishmonger.

 _"I need six eggs! That's too expensive."_ An older woman sang, looking at the price of the eggs.

 _"There must be more than this provincial life!"_ Marinette sang, as she entered the church, where Sister Bustier was.

"Oh, hello! If it isn't the only bookworm in town," Sister Bustier, the only nun in town said, as she finished cleaning the church. "Where'd you run off to this time, Ladybug?"

"Two neighboring towns in Italy," Marinette said. "I really wish I could have stayed. Is there anywhere new?"

"No, but go ahead and reread any of the older books, Ladybug." Sister Bustier said, once again calling Marinette "Ladybug."

"Thanks! I feel like the world is much easier to see thanks to you." Marinette said, taking another one of the books.

"Bon voyage!" Sister Bustier said, smiling.

"Au revoir!" Marinette said, as she left the church with another book.

 _"Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar. I'm sure she's sickly, that I'd bet!"_ Three men sang, as they watched Marinette walk while reading a book.

 _"With a dreamy, far-off look. And her nose stuck in a book,"_ People sang, while watching Marinette go about her day. _"What a puzzle to us all is Marinette."_

 _"Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because, you'll see,"_ Marinette sang, as she was reading her book. _"Here's where she meets prince charming. But she won't discover that it's him, 'till chapter three!"_

Marinette walked by the salon, where the woman in charge was working on a trio of girls.

One was a blue-eyed blond with her hair in a ponytail, Chloé Bourgeois. Beside her on the right was a girl with tan skin, green eyes, and long, brown hair, named Lila Rossi. And flanking Chloé on her left was a girl with short, red hair, and was wearing glasses, Sabrina Raincomprix. All three girls were wearing the same outfit.

The beauty salon manager watched as Marinette walked by.

 _"Now it's no wonder her nickname's "Ladybug." She pulls red and black off the best!"_ The salon manager sang, admiring Marinette's beauty - she secretly wished she could make Marinette look even better.

 _"But behind that fair facade, I'm afraid she's rather odd."_ Sabrina, Chloé, and Lila sang.

 _"Very different from the rest of us."_ The salon owner sang.

 _"She's nothing like the rest of us."_ Chloé, Lila, and Sabrina all sang.

 _"Yes, different from all of us, Marinette!"_ Everyone sang.

Off in the distance near the hills were two men around Marinette's age. They were riding horseback. One of the gentleman was taller and more muscular than average, with olive skin and brown eyes. He had black hair with the ends dyed gold, and it was styled into a sharp quiff.

Next to him was his best friend, a boy who was a little shorter, with dark skin, dark, curly hair, and had brown eyes. He wore glasses, and was looking at his friend in a little bit of confusion.

"Check her out, Max," The first boy said, watching Marinette through a telescope. "My future bride."

He turned to Max, gave him the telescope, and said, "Ladybug's the most beautiful girl in the village. It makes her the best!"

"I don't know, Kim," Max replied, looking through the telescope. "She's more academic. I think you're more of an athlete."

"Marinette can be as truculent as she is gorgeous." Kim said.

"Exactly. Do you seriously need her when you have me?" Max asked, for platonic reasons.

"Maybe your right," Kim said. "But since the war ended, I feel like I've needed something. And Marinette's the only girl who gives me a sense of..."

"Je ne sais quoi?" Max asked, finishing Kim's sentence.

"What does that even mean?" Kim inquired, as he and Max rode back into town.

 _"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her. I said, "She's gorgeous" and I fell. Here in town there's only she, who's as beautiful as me,"_ Kim sang, as he got the attention of the other girls in town. _"So I have some plans to marry Marinette."_

Lila, Chloé, and Sabrina came out of the parlor when they saw Kim riding into town.

 _"Look, there he goes! Isn't he dreamy? It's Monsieur Kim! Oh, he's so cute!"_ The girls sang, as they saw him park his horse and dismount. _"Be still, my heart! I'm hardly breathing!"_

The horse itself was digging up some mud, while Kim was giving the girls an unimpressed look.

 _"He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!"_ They sang, but then Kim turned around, shrugged his shoulders, and went on his way to find Marinette.

"Sorry girls. Not happening." Max said with a shrug before going after his friend.

 _"Bonjour!"_

 _"Pardon!"_ Kim shouted, as he tried to find Marinette in the crowd.

 _"Good day!" "Mais oui!" "You call these rubies?!" "What lovely flowers!" "Some cheese!" "Ten yards!" "One pound!"_

 _"Excuse me!"_ Kim shouted again, as he stole a bouquet of flowers from one of the women at the flower stand.

 _"I'll get the knife."_

 _"Please let me through!"_ Kim shouted, trying to catch up to Marinette.

 _"This bread!" "Those fish!" "It's stale!" "They smell!" "Madame's mistaken!" "Well maybe so!"_

 _"There must be more than this provincial life!"_ Marinette said, as she reached the fountain and looked up to the sky.

 _"Just watch, I'll make Ladybug my wife!"_ Kim sang, as he watched Marinette from the distance.

 _"Look there she goes, that girl is strange but special,"_ Everyone sang, as they watched Marinette. _"A most peculiar mademoiselle."_

Marinette kept walking through the plaza, minding her own business.

 _"It's a pity and a sin. She doesn't quite fit in. But she really is a funny girl. A beauty, but a funny girl. She really is a funny girl. Marinette!"_ Everyone sang.

 _"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!"_

The song ended, and soon Kim caught up to Marinette.

"Morning, Ladybug!" Kim said, calling Marinette by her nickname, and getting her attention. "Oh, great book you have."

"Oh, you've read "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Kim?" Marinette asked.

"Well, no, not that one in particular, but books in general," Kim said, before presenting the bouquet of flowers to Marinette. "It's for your cottage. May I join you for dinner tonight?"

"Um, no not tonight." Marinette said, a little off-put.

"Oh, you have plans?" Kim asked.

"Not really..." Marinette said, before turning away and shaking her head.

She found Kim's attempts to get her attention a little overwhelming. She admitted to herself that Kim was attractive, but the way he treated everything like a competition, combined with his conceit and self-assurance was something that she found unpleasant.

She really did not care for his affections. If anything, Marinette knew that it was only for shallow reasons that Kim even paid attention to her.

Marinette walked away, disgusted with Kim and hoping to get away from him.

Max approached Kim, and asked, "Are you willing to change prospects, now?"

"No way, Max," Kim said. "Marinette's constant brush-offs make her a challenge to woo. And it's always a challenge that's the most rewarding in the end. Ladybug hasn't made an idiot of herself in front of me just to get my attention. Max, what would you say that's called?"

"Self-worth?" Max said with a shrug.

"How can you not love that?! It's so attractive." Kim said.

Max merely rolled his eyes at his friend's persistence.

Marinette had gotten back to the cottage and gone up the stairs. She opened the door and inside, her father, Tom Dupain, a tall man with a large build, green eyes, sideburns, and a mustache was working on a music box.

The cottage also had several paintings and other music boxes around.

 _"How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?"_ He sang, as he was working on a music box. Inside the box was an Asian woman holding a baby, with himself painting her. _"It is love we must hold onto. Never easy, but we try."_

Marinette came in and put down the bread the she had purchased earlier.

 _"Sometimes our happiness is captured. Somehow, a time and place stand still. Love lives on inside our hearts, and always will."_ Tom sang, but then noticed his daughter.

"Oh, Marinette," Tom said, as he kept tinkering with the box. "Do you think you could help me?"

"Yes, Papa," Marinette said, as she came over to her father. "What do you need?"

"Yes, where did I put that..." Tom began, but then Marinette handed him a gear and a long, metal piece for him. "Oh, thanks, Marinette."

"No problem, Papa," Marinette said, as she started cutting the bread. "Um, dad... Do you think I'm odd?"

Tom looked at his daughter with a questioning look and asked, "Odd? My daughter, odd? Where did _that_ idea come from?"

"People talk, you know." Marinette said.

"Ladybug..." Tom said, calling Marinette by her nickname. "You're not odd at all. Listen, this village is small, and the people have small minds. On the other side of that fence, it also means safe."

Marinette nodded, seeing her father's point.

"Back in Paris, I knew a woman who was also as ahead of her time as you are." Tom said, a misty look in his eyes.

Marinette knew exactly whom her father was referring to: her late mother, Sabine.

"...Is there anything you can tell me about her?" Marinette asked.

"... Only one word: fearless." Tom said, with a shrug and a smile.

Later that day, Tom had packed up a carriage and their horse, Phillipe, and planned on going to the market to sell some of his items.

"Marinette, what would you like from the market?" Tom asked.

"May I have a rose, like the one in the painting with Maman?" Marinette requested.

"Marinette, that's the same thing as every year," Tom said with a laugh. "Don't you want anything else?"

"Aside from your safe return? Nothing at all." Marinette said.

"Then a rose it is," Tom said, as he snapped the reigns and started to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good luck, dad! But be safe, okay?" Marinette said, smiling, while wishing her father safety.

* * *

 **And Act I is closed for this story! I hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Like how I changed the prologue to having Adrien being changed into a beast by accident? I think the way he took the bullet for his father mirrors how he takes hits for Ladybug a lot.**

 **If you were really paying attention, then the enchantress's appearance was based on my own Miraculous Ladybug OC, Rochelle DeL'eau! If you want to know more about her, read my other story, "Siren: The Mermaid Miraculous Holder"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter of Belle Coccinelle et Le Chat Bestial!**

 **While Marinette has to duck Kim again, her father winds up running a beast afoul! Oh boy...  
**

* * *

The next day, Marinette was working on some sort of contraption. She was sketching some designs in a notebook that she had. There were many technical terms and pictures in the book.

She tested something out on a model. Marinette took a small barrel, put some rope on it, and then she turned it around on a wheel that she had placed on a table, and it gave her some results she was looking for.

"Bingo! Now to try it out!" Marinette said, smiling.

She then took her clothes, some soap, and then she put it into a larger barrel at the fountain. The water was in the barrel that she had hooked another piece of hardware into to froth the soap, and then she hooked the barrel up to a donkey. As the donkey was pulling the barrel around the fountain to wash the clothes, Marinette was reading a book.

"Um, what are you doing?" A little girl asked, as she was doing laundry the "normal" way. She was looking at Marinette's contraption and watching what she was up do.

"Oh, just the laundry. Come on over!" Marinette said, inviting the little girl over to talk with her.

Marinette started teaching the little girl to read. She had a beginner book on hand - it was the same book that she used when she was learning, too.

"The... bird..." The girl began, as she was slowly pronouncing the words in the book. Marinette was patient, because she remembered how hard it was for her to learn to read.

However, the headmaster of the school soon saw them form a distance away.

"Flies... Over... the... trees." The younger girl said.

"That was amazing!" Marinette said, with a big smile on her face.

"What the heck are you doing? One literate girl is enough!" The headmaster said, appalled. "We'd better do something."

He gathered up some other men in town and then they basically uprooted Marinette's washing contraption, spilling the soapy water and the clothes all over the place.

Marinette was cleaning up the linens, and was unhappy at the disrespectfulness of her fellow citizens. Sister Bustier helped Marinette clean up, and was looking at her in sympathy.

Kim, meanwhile, was practicing wooing words.

"You are the most untamed, most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Kim said, talking to a mirror of all things. "No one deserves you. But I know for a fact that our kids will be just as beautiful."

"Kim, am I interrupting something?" Max asked, interrupting Kim's practice session.

"What's going on, Max?" Kim asked, a little annoyed at Max's disruption.

"A certain bug is getting squashed." Max said. Translation: Marinette is in hot water with someone.

Kim smirked and said to the mirror, "It's hero time."

He immediately started to go off to find Marinette. Max shook his head and followed after Kim.

"Hey, Ladybug!" Kim said, as he found Marinette going back to her cottage. She closed the gate to the garden. "I heard you got into trouble with the headmaster. He wasn't fond of me, either."

Marinette merely gave Kim a look and rolled her eyes. She kept going.

"Listen, Marinette, no one in this village is going to have an open mind when it comes to the change you're trying to bring about." Kim said.

He stepped over a break in the fence and cut through the garden - thus stepping on the flowers and crops - to cut Marinette off.

"...Is teaching another child to read really a crime?" Marinette asked.

"Ladybug, the only children you should be concerned about are... Well, your own." Kim said, giving Marinette a knowing look.

Marinette grew uncomfortable, since she knew where this was going.

"I..." Marinette began, trying to move away from Kim, but he blocked her path. "I think having kids is a ways off."

"Come on, you just haven't met the right guy." Kim said, as Marinette managed to move out of the way, and get out of the garden.

She closed the gate while saying, "Small town, Kim; I think I've met every guy here."

"Did you try meeting them again? People can change." Kim said, as he opened the gate and got closer to Marinette. She merely backed up and went up the stairs.

Marinette knew where this was going. She tried to be nice and let him down politely.

"Listen, Kim," Marinette said. "As if I could make you happy, and you me. No is capable of changing... _That_ _much_."

She was soon standing in front of the door, with Kim a few steps down.

"Ladybug," Kim said. "Should your father die before you wed, you could end up with a fate worse than death: begging for scraps because you wouldn't have anyone to take care of you."

Kim then grabbed her skirt and started pulling himself up closer to Marinette, while saying, "For us simple folks, things can't get any better."

"Listen, farm girl or not, I'm anything but simple." Marinette said, as she pulled her skirt away and started for the door. Kim kept closing in.

Marinette opened the door, keeping her body in front of Kim to block him, and then she got behind the door, and started to close it, while Kim still persisted.

Marinette slowly began shutting the door while saying, "The bottom line is this: I'm never going to marry you, Kim. I'm sorry."

She slammed the door shut and then she locked it. Kim merely walked away, still confident in his chances of wooing Marinette. Once he was a good distance away, Marinette came out of her cottage to watch.

 _"Can you imagine? Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless..."_ Marinette said, before coming out. _"Madame Lê_ _Chiên? Can't you just see it?"_

She took up a cloth and wrapped it around her head, before singing, _"Madame_ _Lê_ _Chiên, his "little wife.""_

She threw it away with a big, angry huff, before coming down the stairs, throwing grain to the chickens, while singing, _"No sir, not me! I guarantee it! I want much more than this provincial life!"_

Marinette ran out of the village, and up to the flowery hills outside of town. She looked around at her new surroundings and smiled, before singing, _"I want adventure in the great, wide, somewhere! I want it more than I can tell."_

Marinette grew a despondent facial expression before singing, _"And for once, it might be grand to have someone understand. I want so much more than they've got planned."_

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere far off, Tom was riding his carriage with Phillipe and soon found himself lost. It was dark out, and the only light he had was a lantern.

"Where on earth...?" Tom asked aloud, as he arrived at a fork in the road. "Now, which way to go..."

However, just as he was about to turn left, lightning struck the tree. It light on fire, fell down, and startled Phillipe.

"Phillipe, hang on! Calm down!" Tom shouted, as Phillipe reared up on his hind legs. "The saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens... Or in this case, when one path gets cut off, another one opens up..."

Seeing the new path, Tom drove Phillipe down the path. However, the strange thing was that it started snowing.

"Calm down. It's only a little snow... In the middle of summer?" Tom said, noticing the strangeness.

As Tom rode Phillipe down the path, he started hearing some growling sounds. He looked around, and above him on a ledge was a wolf. Once the wolf started growling at him, Tom snapped the reigns.

Phillipe started cantering even faster as more wolves started gaining on him. However, when Phillipe jumped over one fallen tree, the carriage came loose, and then Tom was thrown.

The carriage turned over and everything fell out, including the music box. Tom tried to climb to safety, but then the wolves nearly cornered him. He screamed and then he slipped down from the ledge and landed on Phillipe, who managed to catch him.

"Good horse!" Tom said, as Phillipe once again started running from the wolves.

Phillips soon crossed the threshold of a gate to a large castle garden. The wolves seemed to know something about this, so they stopped.

"Man, that was a close one. Looks like they'll need to hunt something else," Tom said, as he rode through the snow-covered garden. "Wow, this place is beautiful, but..."

Up ahead, he saw some hay and water. He rode Phillipe over there and then he dismounted.

"Look at that. Water and hay. Looks like you're all set up for now, mon amie," Tom said. "Meanwhile, I'll go pay our respects to our... Unintentional host, whoever it is."

He walked up the stairs of the eerie castle, to the large double doors of the estate. He used the knockers on the door to knock, and then the door opened.

Tom looked inside, but no one was there, much to his confusion.

"Um, hello? Hello?" Tom called. "I'm just a traveler on my way to the market... Just seeking shelter from the cold."

Over on a nearby table, a candlestick and a mantle clock were sitting on the table, watching Tom.

"Poor guy... Must've lost his way..." The candlestick whispered.

"Quiet!" The mantle clock said.

Tom heard something, and then he looked around and said, "Um, excuse me?"

He noticed the candle and the clock, and then he came over. Seeing the clock's design, he was impressed and he said, "Gorgeous..."

Looking over the craftsmanship of the candlestick, he said, "Wow, this is extraordinary."

He heard piano music coming from somewhere and then started to follow the sound.

"Wow, talk about a man of taste." The candlestick said.

"He was referring to me." The clock said in reproach.

As Tom was following the music, he came into the ballroom. The ballroom itself had large cobwebs hanging from the chandeliers, and it was very dusty. It looked like it had not been cleaned since who-knows-when.

The harpsichord seemed to be playing by itself, but once he noticed Tom, he immediately corrected himself and stopped playing.

Tom was confused, but then he came back into the foyer of the castle. He said, "Well, whoever you are, I hope you don't mind. I'll just warm myself by the fire..."

Tom went to the fireplace and started to warm himself up. He even turned around so his backside would get some heat, too.

Once Tom finished warming up, he caught the scent of food coming from the dining hall. He followed his nose, and soon he came into a large banquet hall, where the table was long enough to seat at least twelve people. There was a place setting for one person, filled with food for him.

Tom paid the absence of anyone no mind, sat down to eat, and started unrolling his napkin. Just as he was about to start eating...

The teacup and saucer moved on its own, closer to Tom's hand. Tom, surprised, looked at the teacup in shock. Upon closer inspection, the teacup had a face of a little girl.

"Mama told me not to move. She said it would probably startle someone," She said. "I... I hope you don't mind."

After chewing a few grapes and then swallowing them, Tom said, "It's fine..."

However, he immediately made for the door. The sight of such a thing made him a little anxious. He soon got to the main entrance, and said, "Um... I appreciate your hospitality."

He immediately got his coat, and then he said, "I'll bid you adieu..."

Tom immediately ran out the door and got onto Phillipe. However, as he was riding towards the gate, he noticed something.

"Aha! Roses! Perfect for Marinette." Tom said. He dismounted and then he tied Phillipe's reigns to the branch.

But Tom failed to realize he was being watched by someone. Above and behind Tom was the silhouette of someone very large. He was growling lowly at the sight of this.

Tom examined the bush, trying to pick out a rose.

"This one." Tom said, as he used his pocket knife to cut the rose's stem so he could take it home to Marinette.

However, once he did, a roar was heard behind him. A large being landed in front of Maurice, causing him to fall onto his back into the snow. In all the commotion, Phillipe broke free from the branch and started running all the way back home.

Phillipe did not stop. He kept cantering and running all the way back to the village.

Marinette herself was working in the garden while keeping an eye out for Kim so she could duck him if needed. However, she heard the whinnying of the horse and then she saw Phillipe cantering over to her, freaked out.

"Phillipe?" Marinette said, as she came out of the garden and shut the gate behind her. She saw the wind blowing leaves into town, and then she knew something had happened. She approached the horse to try and calm him down. "What happened? Where's Papa? Take me to him!"

Marinette had put on a cloak, she mounted Phillipe and then she started riding towards her father's location, letting Phillipe guide the way.

As Marinette rode along the path that her father rode down, she and the horse passed the tree that had fallen down via lightning strike. Marinette kept riding, and soon rode into the wintry woods where the castle was hidden within. Phillipe stopped running, and then Marinette saw what happened to the carriage that Phillipe was hooked up to: somehow or another, it had gotten loose and then it was knocked over. The clue that clinched the fact that her father came that was was the music box that he had finished was on the ground.

She gasped, knowing that something had happened to her father. Marinette kept riding her horse until he made it to the foyer garden of the castle.

"Where on earth...?!" Marinette said, as she dismounted. She felt a foreboding sense of potential danger coming from the castle itself. It was gloomy and it felt like something really scary was inside.

Knowing that she could potentially run into trouble, she grabbed a fallen tree branch and held it as a weapon. She soon entered the castle, and asked out loud, "Hello? I'm looking for my father..."

Meanwhile, the candlestick and the clock that were on the table saw Marinette.

"Check it out, Theo! A beautiful girl!" The candlestick whispered.

"Yes, I can see that." The clock, Theo, said.

"Dude, don't you get it? What if she's the one? The one who will break this spell?" The candelabra asked.

"Who said that?" Marinette asked, as she heard their conversation. "Who's there?"

However, as soon as she asked that, she heard a very dry, very strong, very bad cough coming from upstairs. She knew that voice anywhere: her dad.

Marinette immediately picked up the candelabra and started running up the stairs. She followed her father's coughing, and made here ay to the spiral staircase that led to the prison tower.

"Papa?" Marinette shouted, as she ran up the stairs, asking after her father. "Papa, it's you, right?"

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she saw her father locked in a prison cell. She put the candelabra down and then took her father's hands.

"How did you find me, Marinette?" Tom asked.

"Geez, your hands are colder than snow and ice. Hang on, dad, I'll get you out of there and get you back home." Marinette said.

"No! Marinette, you have to leave here! This castle... How do I put it...? It's alive!" Tom said.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked.

"Listen, I want you to leave," Tom said. "Hurry, before he finds you!"

""He" meaning _who?_ " Marinette inquired.

However, they immediately heard a growling coming from somewhere higher up in the building.

"Who's there?!" Marinette shouted, getting her branch ready to fight back. "Who are you?!"

" _I_ should be the one asking that." A deep, raspy, near animalistic voice said. There silhouette of a person at the top of the stairs. The person could not be seen, but he definitely sounded angry and hostile.

"I'm here for my father." Marinette firmly said.

"Your father? He's a dirty thief!" The voice replied, as he started coming down the stairs. His silhouette was there, but his face could not be seen.

"How dare you!" Marinette shouted, as she was beginning to get angry. "My father would never...!"

"He stole one of my roses." The mystery man said, as he kept coming down the stairs.

"He only did that because _I_ asked for a rose! If you're going to give retribution to anyone, do it to me!" Marinette said, as she defended her father.

"You don't understand, Ladybug! He's talking about for eternity!" Tom said, causing Marinette to turn to her father in surprise. "Because apparently that's the consequence around here for _flower picking!_ "

Marinette, in complete confusion, asked her father's captor, "You're giving my father _a life sentence_ _JUST_ for a rose?! That's blowing things out of proportion!"

The person in question jumped between the staircases. Marinette was surprised at such a feat.

" _Eternal damnation_ over a rose is blowing things out of proportion!" He defended. "Locking him up is minor in comparison."

After taking a breath, he addressed Marinette again and asked, "Now while we're on the subject, are you still willing to take your father's place?"

Marinette was unsure of whom she was dealing with. So, she asked, "Come into the light."

Her father's captor merely backed up a bit, as if nervous. However, Marinette paid no attention to this, took up the candelabra, and showered the person's face in its light.

She gasped in shock. He was almost inhuman. He had a tall, muscular build with extremely thick, black hair that covered his entire body and face. His face still had some human features, with large, emerald-green eyes that resembled that of a cat. His head had very large cat ears, almost that of a caracal cat, also in thick black fur. His legs were a lot more muscular than his arms and his bare feet were large paws, resembling those of a bobcat. He had long, retractable cat claws on his hands, and was wearing a dark forest green cloak that seemed to be shredded.

 _'Mon dieu!'_ Marinette thought, as she backed up in a bit of shock.

"Choose." He demanded.

Marinette was about to tell him that she would take Tom's place, but...

"No! Marinette, don't do this! Losing your mother was bad enough! I'd die inside if I lost you, as well! Please, go!" Tom said.

Seeing how serious her father was, Marinette yielded, and said, "Okay, Papa. I'll leave."

She turned back to the beast before her and said, "I need some alone time with him."

At first, the beast turned around and was about to leave, but Marinette said, "You can't be callous enough to not let a girl say farewell to her father, can you?"

The beast merely sighed and pulled a lever. It opened the door to Tom's cell, and he said, "Maybe I'm not, but I advise you not to dither. Once this door closes, it's shut for good."

Marinette immediately ran into her father's cell and she hugged Tom.

"Ladybug!" Tom said. "Listen to me. You still have so many years on you! So go..."

Marinette started to cry, as she listened to her father's request.

"Go live your life... Forget about me." Tom said.

"Everything I am is all because you were there for me! How am I supposed to forget about you?" Marinette said.

"Don't be afraid, Marinette." Tom said, cupping his daughter's face.

"I won't, Papa." Marinette said, as she hugged her father. She then whispered in his ear, "Don't worry. I'll get out of here on my own, I promise."

Tom grew a confused look on his face, and then Marinette did something unexpected: she shoved Tom out of the cell - causing him to fall to the floor - and then she closed the door.

As Tom was groaning in pain, the beast looked back and forth between the two before talking to Marinette.

"Wow. You actually took his spot?" He asked Marinette.

"Of course I did. I love my father." Marinette said.

"...How foolish. _Both_ of you." The beast solemnly said, as he then moved to address Tom.

He started dragging Tom away, but not without protests from the latter. As Marinette sadly watched her father be dragged away, she began to cry even harder. She watched from the window.

"Marinette! Don't worry! I'll come back and get you out of here! _I PROMISE!_ " Tom shouted, as his voice faded away.

He had been evicted from the castle, and now Marinette was all alone.

* * *

A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set. Marinette, still in her cell, had her back against the wall, and her legs were curled up. She was unsure of what was going to happen to her. However, the forefront of her mind was a necessary escape plan.

Just then, the candelabra hoped up, and used his weight to pull the lever and open the door. Marinette was startled and then she stood up.

"Mademoiselle, please excuse my intrusion," The candelabra said from outside the door; Marinette took up a chair to use as a weapon. "But I'm here to show you to your room."

"Excuse me? My room? But..." Marinette began, as she slowly made for the gate.

"Oh, you mean earlier when he was all like, "Once this door closes, it's shut for good, *roar*?" Yeah, I know, talk about a drama king!" The candelabra said.

Marinette soon saw the candelabra dangling on the lever and then he greeted her, saying, "Hello!"

He hopped down on the ground, and Marinette immediately hit him with the stool, and it broke into pieces.

The candelabra emerged from the rubble and as he reignited the wicks on his candles, he said, "Talk about a strong arm. This is a great trait to have."

"Who or what are you?!" Marinette asked, still surprised and confused.

"I'm Nino!" The candelabra, named Nino, said, as he stood up.

"And you can talk?" Marinette inquired again.

"That's _all_ he does," Theo said, as he came onto the scene; Marinette grabbed a pottery piece as another weapon. "Nino, put her back in her cell immediately! As the head of the household, I order it!"

"Dude, do you _want_ to be a clock the rest of your life?!" Nino asked in a whisper.

He stood up, and then addressed Marinette, saying, "Are you ready, miss?"

As Nino started walking out of the dungeon, he whispered to Theo, "Just trust me."

Theo was still nervous, but he complied. For her part, Marinette was a little skeptical, but she thought it was better than being stuck in a prison cell.

They began walking the stone bridge ways that connected some of the towers from the outside.

"First impressions do mean a lot, but you have to forgive them, please," Nino said, as he was being carried by Marinette. "I hope none of this has startled you."

"I'm talking to a candelabra and you're asking me not to be startled?" Marinette asked. "Don't you think that's impossible?"

"True," Nino said. "But consider me at your service. Since this is your home now, you have free run of the place."

"Just not the west wing." Theo commented.

Nino immediately shook his "arms", telling Theo that was a bad move.

"What's in the west wing?" Marinette inquired.

"Nothing, really," Nino said, trying to cover up his mistake. "Only, um... Empty space."

Marinette cocked an eyebrow; she detected some falseness in this. She noticed that there was a balcony lower down that had a broken window. She also noticed how messy it looked from the distance she was standing at.

"Now, let's get you to your room in the east wing." Theo said.

"The _only_ wing in the castle." Nino said.

As they approached Marinette's new room, Nino asked, "So, is your name "Ladybug" or is it "Marinette?" I heard both names being thrown about."

"My given name is Marinette, but because red and black are the only colors I wear, everyone's given me "Ladybug" as a nickname." Marinette explained.

"It certainly fits." Theo said.

They entered another area of the castle and then Nino hopped down from Marinette's grip.

"Here you are! Your room!" Nino said, as he opened the door. "It might not be the most luxurious, but this is comfortable."

Marinette saw the grandeur of the room. The walls were a soft cherry blossom pink with red and gold filigrees on the walls, a beautiful golden chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling, and the bed was a canopy bed that matched the decor of the room. While Nino said it was modest, Marinette begged to differ. Since she lived in a cottage most of her life, seeing such a large, beautiful bedroom was palatial in her opinion.

"Wow, it's beautiful..." Marinette said.

"Ad- er, the master wanted you to have the best room in the castle. He felt that after what happened earlier, it was the least he could do to try and make it up to you." Nino lied, before hopping onto the bed.

Dust blew out from the comforter, and then Nino coughed, before wheezing out, "Well, we weren't expecting company."

A feather duster that looked like a tan peacock flew into the room, and said, "Enchante, mademoiselle. I'll have this place clean as a whistle in no time!"

As she flew around the room and started cleaning it, she danced in the air. She fluttered around and then she soon landed on the bed, in a ballet-like motion. She was soon in the embrace of Nino, who twirled around with her, almost as if they were dancing.

"Nino, this idea of yours is pretty risky." She said.

"There's no chance I wouldn't take if it meant that I could kiss you again, my dear Alya." Nino said.

"Oh, Nino," Alya said, giggling, rubbing her feathers over Nino's arms. "You've burned me before - literally. But we need to be strong."

"I can't," Nino said, a passionate look in his eyes. "Not when my love for you makes me so weak in the knees."

Alya giggled again. Theo cleared his throat, getting the couple's attention.

"Don't tell me everything here is alive?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, _definitely_ not everything." Theo said, as he saw Marinette nearly take up a hair comb.

The beautiful pink wardrobe, decorated in accents of magenta, green, and blue, 'woke up', opening her doors, revealing that the interior was made to resemble a face of some sort. She was using some of her golden, laurel decorative pieces as arms. She vocalized like an opera singer, startling everyone in the room.

"Relax, Marinette," Nino said. "This is only your wardrobe, Mademoiselle Myléne Hapréle, who happens to be a wonderful singer!"

"Especially if she can keep her eyes open." Theo muttered.

"Theo, a superstar needs to get her rest." Myléne said, before yawning.

"Myléne, stay with us, please!" Nino begged, before gesturing to Marinette. "Especially since we have someone for you to dress."

"Wow! Finally, a girl!" Myléne said, as she pulled Marinette closer to her. "Such pretty blue eyes, a beautiful, dignified face! The perfect medium! Just wait, and I'll find something fit for royalty!"

"Oh, I'm not even _nobility_." Marinette protested.

"Oh, pish posh! Let's see what I have in my drawers!" Myléne said, before opening some of the drawers on the lower part of her 'abdomen', only for a bunch of moths to fly out. "Oh dear, how mortifying!"

Myléne immediately started spewing fabrics out of her drawers and it caused Marinette to spin around, with fabrics toiling all round her and wrapping her up like a spring roll. One longer piece of fabric wrapped around her waist. It was tugged very hard, and it caused Marinette to gasp for breath. Soon, Myléne pulled a wig, a la Marie Antoinette, and placed it on Marinette's head.

"Tada!" Myléne sang, with a vocalizing.

Marinette looked at herself, and she only had one thought about her new dress: it was a disaster.

Theo and Nino seemed to agree, and then Nino said, "Um... Well..."

"It's kind of over-the-top." Theo muttered.

"A-Anyway, we hope to see you at dinner... Cat Noir will be excited to see you." Nino lied.

"Cat Noir?" Marinette said, short of breath.

"Um, that's what we call him," Theo said. "Anyway, we'll come for you when dinner is ready."

The two immediately vacated the room.

"Well, regardless, send my love to the Maestro!" Myléne said, before... falling back asleep.

Marinette took the wig off, and then she managed to slip inside the dress and crawl right out. She was appreciative of the kindness of the staff, but she still had one priority: how get out of there.

She ran to the window, and opened it. However, she paled when she saw how long of a way down it was.

 _'Oh-kay... This is going to be harder than I thought.'_ Marinette thought. However, she saw all of the strewn cloth and fabric, and then she got an idea.

As well as her lucky nature and her literacy, she also had this uncanny ability to think on her feet and think abstractly. She made for the fabric...

* * *

 **Act II is done! I hope you enjoyed it! Coming up, Kim starts plotting to get Marinette to be his bride, meanwhile Marinette herself gets to now her feline-like captor a little more.**


	3. Chapter 3

**With Marinette stuck in Cat Noir's castle, looking for an escape route, you can imagine what is going to come. In this chapter, back in Villeneuve, Kim is angry over Marinette's rejection, but starts plotting to get her to be his wife.**

 **Meanwhile, Marinette starts getting used to her new surroundings.  
**

 **Now, before we get started, I'm going to stay really true to the movie, including Max's character as LeFou. Meaning, YES, I'll write him as gay. I'm going to be honest: I've _NEVER_ written an LGBTQ character in ANY of my stories before, so please be patient with me.**

* * *

Back in Villeneuve, night had fallen, and it was dark out. Everyone as lighting candles in lanterns around town.

Kim and Max were in the tavern, with the former sitting in a lounge chair next to the fireplace. Kim was fiddling with one his daggers. Sabrina, Chloé and Lila were ogling him from the table, and Max was sitting next to his friend, trying to cheer him up.

"Can you see it, Max? A rustic lodge for hunting, with my latest kill roasting on the fire," Kim said, gesturing to the fire. "Little children running around with some cute dogs, while my beautiful wife rubs my tired feet. But Ladybug says, "I'm never going to marry you, Kim.""

Kim grew an upset look on his face.

"Listen, Kim, there are other girls who are lining up to be your wife. Why not go for one of them?" Max said, gesturing to Chloé, Lila, and Sabrina. They were all looking at Kim eagerly.

"A hunter of my caliber only focuses on big game, Max." Kim said.

 _"Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Sir Kim, looking so down in the dumps."_ Max sang, while Kim just threw his dagger into the wall, causing everyone to get startled.

 _"Every guy here'd like to BE you, Sir Kim, even when taking your lumps,"_ Max sang, rubbing Kim's shoulders. _"There's no man in town as admired as you, you're everyone's favorite guy."_

He stood up, and gestured to everyone in the tavern, before singing, _"Everyone's awed and inspired by you, and it's not very hard to see why."_

Max paid the lead musician, and then they started playing some music. Max started to dance along with the music and movements as he sang, _"No one's slick as Sir Kim, no one's quick as Sir Kim!"_

 _"No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Sir Kim!"_ Max sang, while turning someone's head, and cracking some bones in the neck as a result. _"For there's no man in town half as manly!"_

 _"Perfect, a pure paragon!"_ Chloé, Lila, and Sabrina sang, getting close to Kim. Kim just had an uninterested look on his face.

 _"You can ask any John, Dick, or Stanley,"_ Max said, finding his way to the bar and talking to three other guys. _"And they'll tell you whose team they'd prefer to be on!"_

Sitting at the bar, Max made hand gestures while mimicking darts, and sang, _"Who plays..."_

 _"Darts like Sir Kim!"_ The chorus began.

 _"Who breaks hearts like Sir Kim!"_ Max sang, with the chorus finishing up the sentences.

 _"Who's much more than the sum of his parts like Sir Kim?"_ Max sang, leaving the bar and going over to his friend.

 _"As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating."_ Kim sang.

 _"My, what a guy, that Sir Kim!"_ Everyone in the tavern sang.

 _"I needed encouragement, so Max, I thank you!"_ Kim sang, as he and Max met up in the middle. They did a handshake that they formed together in the past.

 _"Well, there's no one's as easy to bolster as you!"_ Max sang, while hugging Kim. "Too much?"

"Yes." Kim bluntly said.

 _"No one fights like Sir Kim, douses lights like Sir Kim!"_ The chorus sang, while Kim punched someone in the face, then licked his hands and used them to put out the lights on the candles.

 _"In a wrestling match, nobody BITES like Sir Kim!"_ Max sang, as he shoved off Kim's teeth marks in his arms.

Kim began pretending to hunt, using a real bow and arrow, with Max playing the target, and Kim began to sing his next lines.

 _"When I hunt, I sneak up with my quiver. And the beasts of the field say a prayer."_ Kim sang, while Max laid on the table, pretending to be a deer or something.

 _"First, I carefully aim for the liver,"_ Kim sang, before pretending to loose the arrow. _"Then I shoot from behind!"_

 _"That's not fair!"_ Max sang, standing up.

Kim shrugged and sang, _"Hey, who cares?"_

He then loosed the arrow up to the ceiling, scaring everyone in the tavern.

 _"No one hits like Sir Kim, matches wits like Sir Kim!"_ The chorus sang.

 _"In a spitting match, nobody spits like Sir Kim!"_ Max sang, as he took out a pot.

 _"I'm especially good at expectorating!"_ Kim sang, before spitting a very long distance, and then Max caught it in the pot.

 _"Ten points for Sir Kim!"_ Everyone sang, while Kim was taking bows, carrying an air of arrogance.

 _"When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me get large."_ Kim sang, as he lifted Lila with one arm and had her sit on his shoulder.

 _"And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a barge!"_ Kim sang, as he did the same thing for Max, while raising his pitch for the last note.

Everyone started doing a slow clap, and as Kim put Max and Lila down, they all started whooping, cheering, clapping and stomping their feet. Max started passing around swords to some of the men in the tavern. People began to dance as the tempo picked up and Kim hopped onto the table that was in the center of the tavern and he began dancing.

Kim put a coat on that matched his clothes.

While still standing on the table, several men started to do a play-sword fight with Kim. Kim was showing off his swordsmanship by really pretending to sword fight with the opponents. He casually stepped on the next table, with people trying to fight him. Kim casually drank something from a mug, while effortless fighting of his 'opponents.'

After a few tricks, he did a backflip and then landed on the table. He posed, matching his profile and pose of the mural of him that was on the wall

 _"Who has brains? (like Sir Kim!) Entertains? (like Sir Kim!)"_ Max sang, leading the chorus again.

 _"Who can make up these endless refrains like Sir Kim?"_ Kim sang, as he pushed Max to the opposite table. He gestured to all of the decor around the tavern. _"I use antlers in all of my decorating!"_

Max and Kim started dancing on the tables, with everyone joining in. The chorus started singing along, too.

 _"Say it again! Who's a man among men?_ _Who's a super success? Don't you know? Can't you guess?"_ Everyone sang, as Kim jumped onto the bar, smoothed back his hair and took another mug and sipped from it. _"Ask his fans and his five hangers on!"_

 _"There's just one guy in town who's got all of it down!"_ Everyone sang.

 _"And his name is K-I... Um... I believe there's another "I"... It just occurred to me that I'm illiterate and I've never actually had to spell it out loud before..."_ Max began, but he realized that he was unable to spell out Kim's name.

 _"SIR KIM!"_ Everyone sang, holding the note, and then Kim and Max went back to their first spot as the song ended.

"Thanks, Max. You're the best friend a guy could ask for," Kim said, sitting back in his chair. "How come no girl has snagged you, yet?"

"Let's just say my taste in partners isn't really... typical." Max said, a little embarrassed.

However, just as things were about to get back to normal, Tom came in.

He looked like he had been through a rough time - which he had - with his hair and clothes all disheveled, covered in dust, and breathing heavily.

"Someone... I... I need help." Tom began, as he nearly collapsed in someone's arms.

"Easy, Tom. Are you okay?" The tavern keeper asked, as he brought Tom to a table.

"It's Ladybug. He's... He's got Ladybug locked in a dungeon..." Tom said, trying to breathe.

Hearing the name of his beloved, Kim's interested was piqued. Max was interested, too.

"Hold on, Tom," Someone said. "Who's got Marinette in a dungeon?"

Tom was about to speak, but then he remembered something: no one in town was open-minded enough to believe him. But he decided to chance it otherwise.

"A beast... A monstrous... Cat-like beast!" Tom said, but he knew he was asking the wrong people when everyone started to laugh.

"It figures! My daughter is in danger, and yet you laugh?!" Tom began. Kim was intrigued, considering the topic was about Marinette. "His... His castle... it's hidden in the woods... And it's already snowing there!"

"Snow in the summer?" Monsieur Dominick said, chuckling.

"Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but _LISTEN UP!"_ Tom shouted, getting everyone's attention. "This isn't a joke. The beast is NOT a figment of my imagination. Please, won't anyone help me?"

Listening to Tom's "rambling" gave Kim an idea.

"I'll help." Kim said, getting everyone's attention. He stood up, much to everyone's confusion, including Max.

"Kim, what are you doing?" Max whispered.

Kim started walking over to Tom, and he merely said, "Everyone, stop ridiculing this man immediately. His daughter is in danger."

"Thank you... Thank you, Kim." Tom said, weakly.

"No need to thank me at all," Kim said. "Just lead the way."

Tom nodded and left the tavern. Kim gestured for Max to follow him, and Kim winked. Max's eyes widened, realizing _exactly_ what Kim was up to. Kim was planning on playing "hero" for Marinette. It was the whole "rescue romance" scenario: Kim intending on saving Marinette to win her heart, and thus her hand in marriage.

Max immediately started to follow Kim, ever the loyal friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, everyone in the castle was abuzz with the news that Marinette was in the castle.

"Maman, there's a girl in the castle!" The teacup from before said, as she was jumping and sliding around the mantle on top of the fireplace.

"I know, Manon! We all do!" Her mother, Nadja Chamack, the teapot, said from the cart. She had a smile on her face.

"I wonder what kind of tea she likes? Black? Green? Rose?" Manon asked, as she started jumping and sliding around. She was running on her saucer around the table. like she was log rolling. "I'm too excited for this!"

"Slow down or you'll break!" Nadja said while laughing, as Manon landed on the tea cart.

"Incoming hot water, Mrs. Chamack!" The stove said, as he used his handle "arms" to pour hot water into her.

Cat Noir soon came into the dining room and sat at the head of the table. However, he noticed that at the opposite end the table, there was another table setting - intended for Marinette.

Seeing this, Cat Noir flinched, and then he wrecked his table setting, causing everything to fall to the floor.

 _"NINO!"_ He shouted.

Theo and Nino flinched at hearing Cat Noir's roar.

"Oh boy..." Theo said.

"Let me do the talking." Nino said.

Cat Noir came into the kitchen and said, albeit a bit stiffly, "So... you're cooking dinner for her?"

"Is it so bad to have company?" Nino inquired.

"What if she doesn't _want_ my company?" Cat Noir said, slapping himself in the face, being mindful of his claws.

"Listen, Cat," Theo said, speaking up. "I was against this from the get-go. Making her dinner, designing her a dress, and giving her a suite in the east wing..."

"You did _what?_ You gave her a _bedroom without my permission?!_" Cat Noir asked.

"Nino did, not me." Theo said.

"No argument there," Nino said. "But this girl is the one to break the spell, I know it! A good way to start the process is using dinner to charm her. Nice one, Theo."

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Cat Noir said. "Charming her with dinner?! That's insane! It won't work! She won't give me the benefit of the doubt after what I did back there in the dungeon tower!"

"What makes you _think_ she won't?" Nino inquired, crossing his arms.

"...I caused the separation of a perfectly-good father-daughter pair. They seemed to be so close and now I caused her to be separated from the only family she might have. She must hate me now." Cat Noir began.

"But you have to try, dude!" Nino said. "With each passing day, our humanity is diminished. We need you to try and win her over, so you can come closer to breaking this spell!"

"But... It's not going to work... She's so beautiful, but I'm... Well, _LOOK AT ME!_ " Cat Noir said, gesturing to himself.

"Adrien," Nadja said, as she addressed Cat Noir by his given name. "You can't judge or assume how people will react to something by what happens between them and their families. You and your father might not have had the best relationship, but it's because of your kindness that the enchantress intended on sparing you to begin with."

Cat Noir's ears drooped. They were right. If he wanted this curse off, he had to win Marinette's heart, and have her steal his in turn. However, he was more concerned about the former part.

* * *

He had approached Marinette's room, and then he knocked on the door, albeit a bit harshly.

"You'll join me for dinner tonight. That isn't a request." Cat Noir said, a bit coarsely.

"Dude, cool it!" Nino said.

"Nino's right," Nadja said. "You need to be gentle. The poor girl lost her father and her freedom in one day!"

"She's probably in there, petrified." Nino said.

"Indeed." Nadja said.

However, unknown to any of them, Marinette had taken all of the fabrics from the dress disaster, made a rope out of them, and was about to start lowering it out the window. This was how she intended to escape, and go back to Villeneuve.

Adrien then took a deep breath, and gently knocked on the door again, hoping to get Marinette's attention.

As Marinette started getting her rope out the window, she turned back to the door, and said, "I'll be there in a minute!"

"See?" Nino said. "Now remember. Be gentle."

"Sweet, kind, charming," Alya said. "You know, _BE YOURSELF?_"

Cat Noir sighed a bit. He knew Alya was right. However, since the spell messed with his emotional profile and stability as well as his physical appearance, he found his temper was harder and harder to, well, temper. So even though he retained his kindness, he found that keeping his anger in check was harder and harder, and it was even _more_ of a challenge for him to calm down. To his chagrin, he felt that he inherited that side from his father.

"And when she comes out, make sure to give her a suave smile! Come on, show us!" Nino said.

Adrien smiled, but since his lips were opened when he did it, he showed off all of his teeth, and he looked more menacing than friendly.

"Oh, mon dieu..." Everyone said, backing off and flinching from the smile.

"A word of advice," Theo said. "Keep your mouth closed when you smile, or you'll cause her to pass out."

Adrien closed his lips and scowled a bit at the blunt statement. He then turned back to the door.

"Will you join me for dinner?" Adrien asked, albeit the courteous manner of his tone sounded forced.

"I beg your pardon?" Marinette said, as she left the window and started to approach the door. "You've taken me prisoner and now you're asking me to share a meal with you? You must be crazy!"

This comment ticked Adrien off, and he started breathing heavily and snarling.

"Oh crap... He's losing his temper!" Alya said, as she hid behind Nino for cover. Everyone else started to cower, too.

Adrien started banging on the door even harder, and he hollered, _"I SAID TO JOIN ME FOR DINNER!"_

"When a woman says "no", she _means it_ , is that clear?" Marinette shouted back.

Myléne woke up, getting Marinette's attention, and said, "What time is it? What's going on?"

Marinette looked back to the door and said, "I'd rather starve to death than eat with the likes of you!"

She started to go back to her escape plan, when Adrien shouted, _"BE MY GUEST! STARVE!"_

Adrien took a deep breath, managed to calm down, and then told everyone, "Unless she eats with me, she _won't_ eat! Morons!"

Adrien stormed off, angry at things not going his way. However, inside, his actions were eating at him.

After Theo had come out from hiding, he said, "You can't talk to us like that!"

However, he noticed that Adrien was gone, and he said, "Dang, I was going to _really_ let him have it this time."

"Oh, Cat Noir, you're back." Nino said, startling Theo into losing some of his parts.

Nino started laughing, much to the chagrin of Theo.

* * *

Adrien came into his bedroom, and then he deliberately shoved over one of his nightstands. He stormed all the way to the other side of the room, which had a balcony on it. He stayed inside and off the balcony, and was at the table where the enchanted rose was sitting under a glass bell dome.

He looked at the rose with disdain before picking up a mirror. Adrien said, "Show me the girl."

The mirror's glass then flashed, before showing Marinette in her room, sitting on her bed, while hugging her knees and crying. The mirror's image faded, and then Adrien put the mirror down.

He sadly watched the rose, as another one of it's petals fell. As it landed on the bottom of the case, it turned black and shriveled up. Adrien sighed, as the castle began to rumble.

Parts of the exterior architecture started to fall off the building and it was like the castle was suffering a minor earthquake.

In front of the fireplace, everyone was trying to cheer themselves up. Seeing some of the wood and rocks fall into the fire, Nino ignited more of the fire, and said, "Oh, crap, another petal fell off the rose..."

"Nino," Alya said, as she looked in the mirror. "I grew more feathers, and I only plucked yesterday!"

"I know, darling," Nino said, as he approached Alya. However, he groaned in pain. "Damn, I'm growing less flexible with each day. More metallic, too."

Theo's face was the one that actually featured the clock portion of his form.

"Ugh, excuse me..." Theo said, as the clock hit the neck hour, and he started chiming uncontrollably. "Ugh, I wish I could stop it."

"Everyone, relax," Nadja said, from up on the rack. "There's still time."

"Maman, will I ever be a little girl again?" Manon asked her mother.

"Yes, you will, Manon," Nadja said. "You will have your days in the sunshine again. Leave it to me."

Marinette herself was lowering her cloth rope out of the window.

However, there was knocking at the door again. She turned to the door and said, "Didn't I say to leave me alone?!"

"Calm down, sweetie, it's only Mrs. Chamack." Nadja said from outside the door.

Marinette made to hide her rope so she could hide her plan of escaping.

The door opened, and Mrs. Chamack and Manon rolled in on the tea cart.

"Oh, aren't you beautiful! It's so nice to meet you," Mrs. Chamack said, as the cart rolled in. However, she saw the rope and immediately caught on to Marinette's intentions. "It's going to be a long way. Let me fix you up before you leave. I've learned that problems seem less problematic after some tea."

She poured some tea into Manon, and then Manon hopped onto the ground and slid over to Marinette. Mrs. Chamack said, "Manon, be careful."

Marinette kneeled down to pick up the teacup and then she drank from her. As she lowered Manon to look the little teacup in the eyes, she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you!" Manon said. "Can I show you a trick?"

She took a deep breath, held it, and pushed herself, and then a bubble formed along her rim, and popped.

"Manon!" Mrs. Chamack scolded. Marinette giggled.

"That was a very brave thing you did for your father, sweetie." Mrs. Chamack said.

"Everyone in the castle agrees." Myléne said, as she had woken up from hearing the whole conversation.

"I can't help but be concerned about him," Marinette said. "He's never been alone, and I mean after me and my mother."

"Things will all turn out all right in the end," Mrs. Chamack said. "You'll be sure to feel much better once you're done with dinner."

"Hang on," Marinette said. "He said I wasn't allowed to eat unless I ate with him."

"No one means what they say when they're angry," Mrs. Chamack said, making for the door. "Whether or not we listen and heed what they're saying is our choice. You coming?"

Myléne gestured to the door and said, "Go on."

* * *

In the kitchen, Nino and Theo barged in through the double doors.

"Hurry up, guys, make the final checks!" Nino shouted. "They're on their way!"

Nino ran in and started to check up on everything.

"Nino, stop this! If Cat Noir finds out that you let her eat, he'll come after me!" Theo protested.

"Yes, yes, I'll be sure that that happens!" Nino said, as he began to check on everything for dinner. He started to help with cleaning the dishes. "But did you see her hold her ground back there?"

"Yes." Theo bluntly said.

"She's the one, I tell you. Hey, you missed a spot," Nino said, before addressing the hat rack with a dish that was not quite clean. "If we're going to be human again, those two _need_ to fall in love. And how can that happen if she holes up in her room the whole time, bra?"

He swung on the hat rack and landed on a cart that Theo was pushing.

"Nino, you _know_ that she'll never love him." Theo said, doubtfully.

"Theo, are you familiar with the phrase, "A broken clock is only right two times a day?" Because you're definitely wrong this time around." Nino said, as he leaped off the cart and onto a table where many cakes and desserts were being finished by the remaining furniture-staff.

He straightened up the flatware and said, "Time to shine, guys!"

Nino jumped onto the stove, and sampled some of the tomato sauce that the stove was making.

"I may not be able to taste, but I know that this is going to be great, dude!" Nino said.

"Please get off me while I work!" The chef said.

"Right, man!" Nino said, jumping off the stove and onto the rolling cart again.

"Okay, okay, fine, but keep it quiet!" Theo begged.

"Fine, fine, but what is dinner without any music?" Nino said, as he polished a wine glass.

"MUSIC?!" Theo shouted, surprised.

Out in the dining room, the harpsichord started walking in. Nino came in, with Theo following behind, and the former said, "Aha! Maestro Ivan Bruel, are you ready?"

"I haven't performed in such a long time, I've almost forgotten what it was like." Ivan said. His face was made from his golden music sheet stand, his eyes were made from the candles that were in front of the stand, and his keyboard were his mouth and teeth.

He took a deep breath before opening himself up and be began playing harmoniously and professionally, but then he bit on one of his teeth, and stopped in pain.

"Ow! Damn, another cavity..." Ivan said, in mild pain.

"Ivan, your girlfriend Myléne is upstairs, and she's having more and more difficulty staying awake! She needs your help to break this spell!" Nino said, mentioning Ivan's beloved to him.

"Then I'll play through any and all pain." Ivan said, determined to help.

"But can you please keep the volume down?" Theo asked.

"Fine, fine, quiet voice," Ivan said. "But are there any other _tawdry_ requests you want for my art?"

"No." Theo said, and then dropped the subject.

"There you are." Mrs. Chamack said, as she led Marinette into the dining room.

Nino immediately clapped, and then the hat rack put out the candles. Alya flew and grabbed a silver tray, and lifted it up to the moonlight to make a makeshift spotlight for Nino.

 _"Ma chére Ladybug,"_ Nino began, with Alya struggling to steady the spotlight. _"It with deepest pride and greatest pleasure -_ Keep it steady, Alya! _\- that we welcome you tonight."_

 _"Now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair,"_ Nino sang, as a chair came up from behind Marinette, and placed her in its seat. _"As the dining room proudly presents..."_

As Ivan played some music, the plates and flatware gently fell onto the table, via magic, and they were perfectly set. However, Ivan hit one of his cavities and hit a note and stopped abruptly in pain. Nino looked at him, and then Ivan played the last note.

 _"You dinner."_ Nino said, addressing Marinette.

 _"Be our guest, be our guest. Put our service to the test,"_ Nino sang, as he began to dance. The hat rack gave Marinette a napkin, and she put it on her lap. _"Tie your napkin 'round your neck,_ _chérie, and we'll provide the rest."_

 _"Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres,"_ Nino sang, as the hat rack gave Marinette a bowl of minestrone and a plate of bacon-wrapped scallops. _"Why we only live to serve."_

Marinette turned back to Nino, who showed her a dish of caviar on an oyster shell, before singing, _"Try the_ _grey stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"_

The plates started flying around in a circular spiraling motion, meanwhile Nino was spinning around with his hands and arms out. The plates landed back in their original spots.

 _"They can sing, they can dance,"_ Nino said, while Marinette watched eagerly. _"After all, miss, this is France!"_

Nino let a knife drop like a guillotine onto a baguette, slicing it in half.

 _"And a dinner here is never second best!"_ Nino sang. Papers shaped like butterflies flew through the air, while one knocked over Nino, causing him to stumble and fall.

 _"Go on, unfold your menu,"_ Nino sang, as Marinette caught one of the butterflies, and opened it up, revealing the menu for the night. _"Take a glance and then you'll be our guest, oui our guest, be our guest!"_

Theo trying to get Nino to quiet down.

The trumpets and the tempo sped up and then three doors in the dinning room opened one at a time.

 _"Beef ragout, cheese soufflé, pie and pudding en flambé!"_ Nino sang, as each named dish rolled into the room on a cart when called. However, the last dish exploded, and some of the contents splattered onto Theo.

 _"We'll prepare and serve with flair, a culinary cabaret!"_ Nino sang, as he began to dance with some wine glasses. _"You're alone, and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared!"_

He gestured to the table as a buffet of luxurious dishes put themselves onto the table.

 _"No one's gloomy or complaining, while the flatware's entertaining."_ Nino sang, as the silverware stood up; four of them made a trampoline out of a napkin.

Nino jumped onto the napkin and started to shoot into the air.

He began to swing on the chandeliers like a trapeze artist, while singing, _"We tell jokes, I do tricks with my fellow candlesticks!"_

 _"And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!"_ The chorus began, and then after a few tricks, Nino landed back on the table, sticking the landing.

 _"Come on and lift your glass, you've won your own free pass to be our guest! If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest!"_ Nino sang.

Some wine glasses with red wine formed a bit of a ball shape, with the wine glasses' rims staying upright at different angles to prevent spillage. Alya hit the glasses with the spotlight, and then the reddish-pink light filled the room.

 _"Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!"_ Nino and the chorus sang, while the feather dusters flared their feathers out, and then they rotated together, while closing in and blocking Nino for a few seconds.

The scene went dark for a bit. Nino broke through the feather walls, and began to sang a sadder part.

 _"Life is so unnerving for a servant who's not serving,"_ Nino sang, as he slipped into a napkin and started to stretch around. Marinette had been served a lamb dish and was about to start eating. _"He's not whole without a soul to wait upon."_

Nino stood up, and sang, _"Oh, those good old days when we were useful, eh, Theo?"_

Theo nodded, agreeing with Nino.

 _"Suddenly, those good old days are gone."_ Nino sang, as he moved in such a way that his shadow grew larger against the wall.

He landed in front of the other head of the table, took the tablecloth and treated it like a cloth, and then he pretended to trudge while the feather dusters fanned some dust onto him. He sang, _"Too long we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting."_

 _"Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!"_ Nino sang, as he pulled the tablecloth - and thus Marinette's food - away.

Theo fell off the table, and landed on Nino. The hat rack picked them up and put them back onto the table.

 _"Most days, we just lay around the castle,"_ Nino sang. He then started tickling Theo. _"Flabby, fat, and lazy. You walked in and oops-a-daisy!"_

 _"It's a guest, it's a guest! Sake's alive, while I'll be blessed!"_ Mrs. Chamack sang, while in the dish room.

She jumped onto the top of a display that had many levels on the stand.

 _"Wine's been poured and thank the Lord, I've had the napkins freshly pressed!"_ Mrs. Chamack sang, as napkins flew from the stand and started swirling around her.

 _"With dessert, she'll want tea, and my dear, that's fine with me!"_ Mrs. Chamack were very ornately-decorated cakes and high-end desserts on each level, and they were all spinning in opposite directions. The bottom level had cups and saucers, and sugar dishes on saucers, too. _"While the cups do their soft shoeing, I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing!"_

Mrs. Chamack jumped up a bit, and the stand she was sitting on opened up like a flower and it caught her gently, while from the top view down, it looked like what she was lying on was rising up. It then gently landed.

 _"I'll get warm, pipping hot,"_ Mrs. Chamack sang, as she leaped down from level to level, and then landed on the cart. She noticed a spot on Manon. _"Heaven's sakes, is that a spot?!"_

 _"Clean it up! We want the company impressed!"_ Nadja sang, as she used her steam to clean the spot off, and then the tea cart rolled into the dinning room.

 _"We've got a lot to do! Is it one lump or two?"_ Nadja sang, as she addressed Marinette, with the sugar dish at her side. _"For you, our guest!"_

 _"She's our guest!"_ Nino sang.

 _"She's our guest!"_ Mrs. Chamack sang.

 _"She's our guest!"_ Nino sang, with Theo joining in.

 _"Be our guest, be our guest! Our command is your request! It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed!"_ The chorus sang, with Alya leading her fellow feather dusters to form giant, elegant peacocks with their wings and plumage included.

 _"With your meal, with your ease..."_ Some of the larger feather dusters sang, as they dove into the punch and started to do a synchronized swimming routine. _"Yes indeed, we aim to please!"_

The punch turned into a glowing, blue fountain. While the liquid was gushing out, Nino was dancing, and both he and the chorus sang, _"While the candlelight's still glowing, let us help you, we'll keep going!"_

A stand that looked like the Taj Mahal was shown, and then out of the doors came Theo, wearing a turban. He sang, _"Course by..."_

 _"Course!"_ Nino sang, as he appeared on top of the structure, with confetti blowing up behind him. _"One by one, till you shout, "Enough! I'm done!" Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest!"_

He then stepped down and started walking the runway, while everyone was involved with the routine. The napkins and their rings were dancing, there were cakes on the sides of the runway, the feather dusters were still showing off, and the silverware were dancing, too.

 _"Tonight, you'll prop your feet up, but for now, let's eat up! Be our guest, be our guest! Be our guest, please be our..."_ Nino sang, as everyone kept on dancing, with Nino leading the way.

 _"GUEST~!"_ Nino sang, as the whole table setting and the flash and beauty of the performance melted away quickly, and then the chairs were back in their spots.

Nino did a few spins, and then he stopped in front of Marinette. He took a tray out from behind him that had a giant piece of one of the cakes on it, and Nino offered, "Cake?"

Marinette giggled with a big smile on her face.

* * *

 **And here's chapter three! I thought this would be a good stopping point for this chapter, so I can focus on getting settled in for the new school year. If I went any further, then it'd be too long of a chapter.**

 **No worries, this story will continue, but it's just going to be a bit slower with the updates. Please review and show your support in the meantime!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Marinette was warned to stay out of the west wing, but predictably, she goes in there anyway. You can guess what happens when she does _that_. After the fact though, things are beginning to look up for everyone in the castle. **

**And now that Tom has recruited Max and Kim to try and save Marinette, we see begin to see Kim's more ruthless side.  
**

* * *

After Marinette had a very wonderful dinner, Mrs. Chamack took a walk with her, to help her feel more comfortable at the castle.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I have no idea why you're treating me this way. Aren't you as trapped here as I am, with the desire to break out?" Marinette inquired.

"Not at all, Ladybug," Mrs. Chamack said, as she and Marinette stopped in front of the staircase. "Cat Noir isn't as horrid as he seems. Deep down, there's a prince... of a man just waiting for someone to help him come out of his shell."

Marinette changed the subject and turned to the staircase.

"Nino said something about the west wing. I wonder what's up there?" Marinette asked.

"Forget about that," Mrs. Chamack said, cutting in before Marinette could get any ideas. "Now, off to bed with you."

"Okay, goodnight." Marinette said, as she started going up the stairs.

"Straight to bed!" Mrs. Chamack firmly said, trying to make sure Marinette did not go in the west wing.

Marinette herself waited until Mrs. Chamack was out of sight. She immediately started running up the stairs. However, instead of going left into the east wing, she ran up the staircase that was on the right - the stairs that led to the west wing.

As she ascended the first flight of stairs, Marinette noticed that the west wing was in shambles in comparison to the rest of the castle, which was not very well-maintained anyway. She saw furniture was falling apart and in pieces, and the corridor was a lot darker when compared to elsewhere in the castle. Even some of the stone was falling apart from the interior, and falling into the darkness. After running up another flight of stairs, Marinette soon came to a set of double doors. She was feeling a sense of dread in her gut, but at the same time, she also had a big dose of curiosity surge through her body. She decided to listen to her curious side, and opened the doors.

She saw a very grand - albeit very bedraggled - bedroom. It was huge, about four or five times the size of the dining room downstairs. Marinette had never seen such a huge bedroom. She looked to her left, and saw a giant pile of fabric, feathers, wood, and stuffing. She assumed that it had been a piece of furniture at one point, but she also guessed that Cat Noir had destroyed it when he threw a tantrum.

Looking around the room, Marinette soon saw a painting on the wall. She approached, and took a closer look at it. She saw that it was ripped in places. The canvas was ripped - as if they were torn and clawed - around the older man in the left of the painting. He had ice blue eyes, combined-back, light blond hair, glasses, and looked very stern and formal. The part of the canvas that showed the woman on the right was completely untouched for some reason. The woman in the painting had blonde hair, green eyes, and wore her hair in a ponytail that was curled. She looked to be a very sweet, kind lady.

Marinette then noticed the bottom center of the painting, which seemed to be the part that took the most damage. The canvas was the most torn and ripped. It was torn around the eyes and face of the boy in the center. From what she could see, he looked identical to his mother, with his hair and eyes being the spitting image of the woman. However, there was something about the green eyes of the boy that seemed familiar to her. But she could not put her finger on it.

Considering the shape of the tears in the canvas, Marinette concluded that Cat Noir must have ripped it up in pure rage. Marinette looked to her right, and saw that in one part of the room, there was an elevated portion of the floor that had three levels to it. There was a table there, sitting in the moonlight that filtered in through the intricately-shaped muntined windows. The curtains were all torn apart and shredded - most likely from Cat Noir's claws - and from what she could see, there was an opening in the windows that seemed like a broken door. It also looked like that it led out to a balcony. And once again, Marinette noticed that it was snowing.

What caught Marinette's eye the most was what was sitting on the table: the enchanted rose, under the glass bell dome. The moonlight seemed to become a spotlight for the rose. The glass itself shone brightly in the moonlight, and the petals seemed to glow a bit, giving the rose a sense of mystery. Curious, Marinette started to approach it.

As Marinette got closer, she saw that the rose was suspended in mid-air without any soil, somehow. She also saw all the blackened, shriveled petals on the bottom of the glass.

Marinette was mesmerized by the rose's beauty. She started to reach out to touch the glass, when a dark shadow passed over her.

Cat Noir landed in front of the table, ran to the rose to check on it, and then he shouted at Marinette, **_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"_**

"I was only looking at it!" Marinette defended.

 ** _"Do you have any idea what you could've done?! You could've cursed us all!"_** Cat Noir shouted, getting in Marinette's space and staring down at her.

"I..." Marinette began, but she was scared.

 _ **"GET OUT! GO!"**_ Cat Noir hollered, as Marinette immediately started to run from the room.

Cat Noir went to look at the rose, seeing it was still intact. However, he realized his mistake at shouting at Marinette.

He turned around and shouted, "WAIT, DON'T LEAVE! I'm... I'm so sorry..."

However, Marinette did not hear him, for she had immediately passed the threshold of the door.

Cat Noir then moaned in distress as he slapped himself in the face.

Meanwhile, Nino and Theo were playing chess.

"Checkmate, _again_." Nino said, with a chuckle.

"No, you just cheated again!" Theo said.

However, they heard face-paced footsteps, and soon saw Marinette flying down the stairs in fright. Nino shouted out to her, "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Leaving!" Marinette shouted.

"What?!" Theo shouted, before blowing the whistle. "Stop her!"

Everyone gathered around to try and bar Marinette from leaving. Should she go, their chances of becoming human again were zero.

The doors locked, the windows closed, and some of the living furniture tried to barricade the windows and doors, too.

Everyone was clamoring to get Marinette to stop.

However, Marinette noticed that part of the door was designed differently and had hinges in a different place. She realized it was a dog door, and then she snagged her cloak from the hat rack and dove through the dog door.

"No! Wait, come back! It isn't safe out there!" Nino shouted.

"Oh, dear!" Mrs. Chamack said, worried about Marinette.

* * *

Marinette had mounted Phillipe, and they were racing out of the castle gates. She wanted to get away from Cat Noir as fast as she could, and was not about to let anything stand in the way. Not even all of the snow and ice that was surrounding her.

As she rode through the snowy woods, she was unaware that she was being followed by wolves - the same ones that attacked her father. The leader howled, calling his pack mates.

They growled, and then they started to give chase to her. Marinette noticed they were coming and then snapped the reigns, and then Phillipe started running faster and faster, with the wolves on their tail.

Marinette kept riding, ducking branches, and trying her best to get away from the wolves. However, the wolves kept growling and running after her. Another part of the pack came at her from a different direction.

Marinette tried to power through, but then Phillipe started skidding a bit on an icy patch in the woods. The wolves soon caught up to her and then they started snapping their jaws and teeth at Phillipe's legs.

In fright, Marinette reached above her and grabbed a branch off a dead tree. In her struggle, however, she fell off the horse and landed on the ice. She managed to get up and she held the stick like a weapon. Marinette tried her best to fight off the wolves, but as she managed to bat away one wolf, another came at her. Marinette was even having trouble standing up on the ice.

However, Marinette was soon at eye level with the leader of the pack. He was standing on higher ground, growling at her and looking her in the eye. Marinette stared it down, a determined look on her face.

She held her branch at the ready. The wolf leaped and lunged at her, but out of nowhere...

The wolf was tackled by something. Cat Noir tumbled and then he threw the wolf against a snowbank. Marinette was surprised to see that Cat Noir had come after her.

Marinette immediately ran for her horse.

Meanwhile, the wolves all made for Cat Noir. He started fighting them off, but every time he threw one wolf off his back, another one tackled him from another direction. He kept scratching and fighting them off, and once he threw all but one against the snow, he started to regain his breath. He was breathing heavily.

However, one wolf had stood up and was about to tackle Cat Noir from behind.

 _"INCOMING!"_ Marinette shouted.

Cat Noir looked behind him and then the wolf tackled him from behind, and then as Cat Noir landed on the ground, he roared in pain. The wolf had started bitting him on his back. Cat Noir kept fighting and scratching at the wolf, but the wolf kept biting him in so many places, including his arms.

Marinette could only watch in horror as she saw Cat Noir getting beat up by wolves.

However, Cat Noir managed to redirect himself, and then he threw the wolf off of him. As the wolves all stood up, ready to attack again, Cat Noir roared. The sound was a combination of many angry wildcats, lions and tigers included, and there was even some bear mixed in their.

Hearing the roaring, the wolves all whimpered and started to leave. Cat Noir soon turned to Marinette, and hoarsely said, "Ladybug... Forgive me..."

He fell on his stomach onto the ice, tired from the fight and in pain from the wounds he sustained. Marinette immediately ran to Cat Noir's side, and then she lifted him up to look at him in the eyes.

"Please... you have to stand..." Marinette whispered. Cat Noir tried to stand on his feet, and he succeeded, albeit with some difficulty.

Marinette managed to get Cat Noir on the horse and they were slowly making their way back to the castle.

However, they were not the only ones out in the woods at that moment.

Meanwhile, very far off in the distance, the wolves were howling.

"I'm sure this is the way! We're getting close. I can tell by the wolves howling..." Tom said. They were on the same path that he had gotten lost on before.

Tom, Kim, and Max were in a carriage being pulled by another horse - driven by Kim - and Tom was guiding them. However, since they were out for such a long time, Kim was getting a bit ticked off at the situation.

"Listen, we need to go back." Kim said.

He felt Tom was off his nut with this story, but at the same time, Kim had not seen Marinette in town all day, so he felt that maybe there was some truth to what Tom was going on about.

However, Tom noticed something and said, "Hang on, stop the horse!"

He saw the same tree that had been hit by lightning, and said, "That's the tree!"

He got off the carriage and started to approach the tree, while saying, "Back then, it had been downed by lightning, but... Somehow or another it's resumed the upright position..."

"You sure you want this guy to be an in-law?" Max whispered to Kim.

"So the way to the castle... It's... This way. No, wait..." Tom said, trying to jog his memory banks to find the right path. "Aha! The right."

"Okay, enough's enough. I'm done playing around," Kim said, getting off the carriage and approaching Tom. "Where's Ladybug?"

"I'm telling you, the beast took her!" Tom insisted.

"Beasts don't exist, Tom. Neither to talking teacups or magic. But do you know what _does_ exist? Starvation, frostbite, and wolves!" Kim said, getting angrier with every word.

"Wait, you think I'm making all of this up?" Tom said. "Then why would you offer to help me?"

 _"BECAUSE I WANT TO MARRY LADYBUG!"_ Kim said, nearly shouting.

Seeing this, Max stood up and said, "Deep breaths, Kim. _Deep breaths_."

Kim took a deep breath as advised, and then he turned back to Tom.

"So, let's just turn around, head back to Villeneuve. I'm sure Ladybug is at home cooking something nice for dinner." Kim said, as he turned around to go back to the carriage.

"She's not home. She's stuck with the... " Tom began, but...

Kim grabbed Tom by his shirt and said, "If you say "beast" once more, _I WILL LET YOU BECOME WOLF CHOW!"_

Max immediately grabbed Kim by the shoulders and turned him around, saying, "Kim, knock it off! Think happy thoughts! Think back to the war!"

Kim started to think back to his times in the war, and managed to calm down.

"Yes, the war... The explosions, the gore..." Max said, describing what was pleasant to Kim.

Kim managed to relax and then he turned back to Tom, and with a smile on his face, he said, "Forgive me, Tom..."

He put his hands on Tom's shoulders, before saying, "That's no way to talk to my future father-in-law."

"I beg your pardon? "Future father-in-law?"" Tom asked, incredulous.

Kim smiled weakly, while nodding.

Tom knew Marinette was not interested in Kim. He also found Kim to be unpleasant, too. Tom felt that if Marinette were to be wed to Kim, she would not be happy. The first reason was because she did not feel that way about Kim, and reason two was that neither he nor Marinette felt that Kim would allow her to be true to herself. She would be stuck having to conform to the ideal wife, meaning she would have to give up her books. Tom was also aware that Kim was too big for his britches, something that neither he nor Marinette liked about Kim.

"You and Marinette will _never_ be man and wife." Tom said, thus bluntly telling Kim "no."

Angry with this answer, Kim punched Tom in the face, knocking him unconscious on the ground. Max smacked himself in the face, saying, "Why did I see that one coming?"

After the fact, Kim tied Tom to a giant oak tree.

Kim said, "If I can't get Tom's blessing, then he's an obstacle that needs to be removed. Once the wolves are done with him, Marinette will have no one to take care of her, so she'll have no choice but to marry me!"

He went back to the carriage, but Max stayed for a bit. He turned to Kim and asked, "Um, can't we think of a less... repugnant option, if we're exhausting all our alternatives, Kim?"

Kim changed the subject and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

Max sighed and got in the carriage. He kept looking at Tom as Kim drove the horse back to town.

* * *

Back at the castle...

Marinette had brought Cat Noir back to the castle, and brought him to his room. Cat Noir was lying in his bed, with his wounds facing Marinette, who was sitting on a stool near the bedside.

Nino and the others were in there with them, too.

"AAGH!" Cat Noir shouted in pain, roaring at the same time. Marinette had wiped down one of the wounds on his back with a warm, damp towel, but Cat Noir was in unbearable pain. "Man, that hurts..."

"It wouldn't be as painful if you would hold still." Marinette firmly said.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run away." Cat Noir insisted.

"I wouldn't have run away if you didn't scare me like that." Marinette retorted.

Cat Noir relented a bit. Marinette was right, and then he softened his tone and said, "About that... I'm really sorry. I know you were just curious about the west wing. I shouldn't have shouted."

Marinette was surprised that Cat Noir apologized, especially without any coaxing from someone else. Her expression softened. However, she changed the subject and told him, "Get some rest."

"Thank you..." Cat Noir weakly said. He nodded before slowly falling asleep.

"Thank you so much, Ladybug," Nino said. "We're really grateful to you."

Marinette then said, "You guys certainly care about him a lot. But why?"

"We've watched over him his whole life," Mrs. Chamack said. "In fact, he, Nino, and Alya here all grew up together."

"But he's caused all of you to become cursed. You guys didn't do anything." Marinette said.

"...Can't argue with that," Mrs. Chamack said. "See, when Adrien lost..."

"Adrien?" Marinette inquired.

"Cat Noir's given name." Nino explained.

Marinette nodded, then motioned for Mrs. Chamack to continue.

"As I was saying, when Adrien's mother passed away, his already-cruel father got even worse. He became harsher, colder, stricter... And we did nothing to intervene or try to stop it," Mrs. Chamack continued. "But even though he was crueler and tried to raise Adrien to be the same, Adrien's heart never changed. He was always a sweet, kind boy."

Marinette was in a bit of disbelief at hearing this information. Her first impressions of Adrien, combined with his behavior up to that point, made it hard for her to believe Mrs. Chamack. On the other hand, Cat Noir had saved her life, so she understood that what the staff was saying about him held quite a bit of water.

"But if Adrien is as nice as you say, then why...?" Marinette began. She wanted to know how a curse would befall such a supposedly kind boy.

"Well, this whole curse wasn't intended for Adrien anyway," Nino continued. "The spell was meant for his father. But as you've seen with how he defended you from the wolves and how he apologized for yelling at you, Adrien's the kind of guy who will put himself in harm's way for those he cares about."

"So this was basically the result of an accident because he defended his father and took the curse?" Marinette asked.

Everyone sadly nodded.

"Again, Adrien will let himself get hurt for those he cares about," Alya said. "Adrien cared about his dad, he took the bullet for him, thus our current situation."

Marinette, upon hearing their story, had a change of heart about Cat Noir. Marinette realized that if Adrien was willing to apologize for his mistakes, and even risk his own safety for other people, there had to be good in him.

"Let's let him get some rest." Nino said, as he began leading everyone out of the room.

Marinette made to leave, but not without once again looking at Cat Noir, who was now completely asleep. She continued to follow Nino and company.

As Adrien slept peacefully, he began to dream of a time that had passed by...

 _~Flashback~_

 _It was when Adrien was only a child. He was standing in front of the same bed in the exact same room, looking at his mother. She looked so beautiful and peaceful in her bed._

 _Adrien himself had tears streaming down his face. His mother, the queen, had passed away from disease, but Adrien had yet to come to terms with this. He hoped his mother would awaken again and things would get back to normal._

 _"Days in the sun... When my life has barely begun. Not until my whole life is done, will I ever leave you." Adrien sang._

 _However, his father, the king, the same one from the painting, came over to Adrien. He took his son by the shoulders and led him away from the bed. The king was already callous as it was, but now that his beloved wife was gone, his heart started turning to stone._

 _~End of Flashback~_

Cat Noir had woken up from the flashback dream. He opened his eyes, and while still lying on his side in the bed, he wondered to himself, _'Why did I dream that?'_

Down in the ballroom, which was still all dusty and unmaintained, Ivan was in the center of the room, playing some music.

He sang, _"Will I tremble again to my dear one's gorgeous refrain?"_

 _"Will you now forever remain out of reach of my arms?"_ Alya and Nino sang together, as the two of them were waltzing to Ivan's music.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Chamack and Manon were riding on their cart.

 _"All those days in the sun. What I'd give to relive just one."_ Mrs. Chamack sang, as she cuddled with Manon.

"Night, mom!" Manon said. They hopped onto a shelf that had dish towels as their beds.

 _"Undo what's done and bring back the light."_ Nadja sang, as she used her steam to put out the candle.

The light then changed back to Myléne, in Marinette's room. She was wide awake and she was singing.

 _"Oh, I could sing of the pain these dark days bring,"_ Myléne sang, while Marinette watched and listened to her. _"The spell we're under, still it's the wonder of us I sing of tonight."_

 _"How in the midst of all this sorrow, can so much hope and love endure?"_ Marinette sang. _"I was innocent and certain. Now I'm wiser, but unsure."_

She went to the window, and she looked out.

 _"(Days of the past) I can't go back into my childhood. (All those precious days couldn't last) One that my father made secure."_ Marinette sang, as the scene panned out to show the entire castle.

The horizon nearby was shown, and Marinette sang, _"I can feel a change in me. (Oh, hold me closer) I'm stronger now, but still not free."_

 _"Days in the sun will return, we must believe. As lovers do, that days in the sun will come shining through."_ The staff sang.

The daylight broke, and then Marinette was back in Cat Noir's room, checking up on him. Adrien would drift in and out of consciousness, but whenever he would regain consciousness, he noticed Marinette was not looking at him in fear anymore. He saw a kind and gentle look on her face as she tended to his wounds. The staff came in to check up on them.

He began to wonder if it was possible for Marinette to truly love him. However, he fell back asleep as he was still tired out from everything.

Marinette stood up, but then she turned to look at the rose sitting on the table. She asked, "So... what's going to happen when the last petal falls off?"

"Adrien will be stuck as a beast forever," Nino said. "And the rest of us become, well..."

"Waste." Theo sadly said, being as blunt as he could get.

"Isn't there any way to break the curse?" Marinette said, as she kneeled down to talk to her new friends. "I want to help you. It's the least I could do."

"Actually, there..." Theo began, but Nino smacked him to get him to shut up.

"Ladybug, that is no concern of yours," Nadja said. "We have to reap what we've sown."

The castle staff had come to the consensus that it was okay for Marinette to know that they were under a spell. What they did not tell her was how to break it. They knew that Marinette and Adrien would have to fall in love to break the spell. Even Manon, as young as she was, was smart enough to know that it had to be true love from both parties. If Marinette were to know how to break the spell, then it would be love born from sympathy, and that was not the same as true, romantic love. If they knew one thing, it was that magic was very good at telling the difference.

Just then, another petal fell off the rose. Marinette watched closely as it happened, meanwhile Cat Noir was still resting in the bed.

* * *

Back at the giant oak, Tom was still alive, but his health was even worse off than it was before.

A girl from the village passed by, and stopped in front of the tree. It turned out to be Rochelle. Her hair was covered by a cap and she was wearing a hood over her head.

Rochelle was an outlier in the village, even more so than Marinette. She preferred to live in the peace and quiet of the woods rather than the high-energy environment of the village.

Seeing Tom in his state, Rochelle took out a dagger from a pocket on one of her boots. She cut the rope to free Tom. He needed someone to lean on, literally, and so she supported Tom.

Rochelle helped Tom to her small wooden hut nearby. She had everything a woman would need: a well for water outside, furniture, a fireplace, a kitchen inside, amongst other things. On her shelves, she had glass beakers and tubes on racks, a mortar and pestle, a few herbalism and medical textbooks - courtesy of Marinette and her reading tutelage - and several medicinal herbs that were in glass jars.

Rochelle made a living by making herbal medicines and selling them in the village. She was sure the villagers' opinion of her was similar to their opinion of Marinette. However, they never gave Rochelle any flack over it because they needed and appreciated her medicines more.

Rochelle put Tom into the chair near the fireplace and started up a fire to help warm him up. She got her tools and herbs out, and began to grind some herbs int he mortar and pestle. She had water boiling on the stove and within a few minutes, she had made a medicinal tea for Tom.

She brought it over to Tom, and put the cup to his lips. She said, "Drink."

Tom took a large swig of the tea, and once it was in his system, he started to feel better. He looked up and said, "Thank you, Rochelle."

"My pleasure," Rochelle said. "So, what happened out there?"

Tom flinched at such a direct question, but he decided to answer anyway.

"See, yesterday..." Tom said, starting from the beginning.

* * *

Marinette was still in the west wing with Cat Noir. She was sitting in a chair beside the bed while Cat Noir was lying in the bed. Out of his peripheral vision, Cat Noir subtly watched Marinette.

He saw how kind and sweet she was. After what he had done the night before, he was sure that she would have left him for dead. He would not have blamed her if she did. But she did not, and that was what stuck out to him. He was so sure that no one would have given him a second thought.

"'Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. Therefore'..." Marinette said, quoting "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"...'Therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.'" Cat Noir said, finishing up the quotation. Marinette turned to him, astonished.

She turned her body to face him and said, "Wow. I didn't think anyone else knew Shakespeare."

"Father made sure I had the most expensive education possible." Cat Noir said, with scorn in his voice towards his father.

Marinette, feeling happy that she had found common ground with her captor, smiled and said, ""Romeo and Juliet" happens to be my favorite!"

Cat Noir blushed - albeit under all of that fur, no one could tell - at hearing this. He would never admit it, but "Romeo and Juliet" was his one of his favorites, too.

"Um, well... Ugh, why is that no surprise?" Cat Noir said, feigning a groan and lying back on the bed.

"...Forgive me?" Marinette said in askance. She was surprised that this was his reaction.

"Well, all the pining, the heartache, the constant fighting. Bleh," Cat Noir said, sticking out his tongue, feigning disinterest. "There so many other things to read that are just as good, if not better."

"Such as?" Marinette asked, almost demanding an answer from him.

Cat Noir had gotten out of bed and put on green jacket over his shirt. He opened a set of double doors and led Marinette into a large room.

"There's plenty of things in here for you to start with," Cat Noir said, as he led Marinette into the library. He then noticed that Marinette had stopped. "Um, are you okay?"

Marinette was in awe. The library had books wall-to-wall, with stairs that led to a second story inside the room. The second story had tables, too. There were wheeled ladders on some of the walls for Marinette to climb if she could not reach a book. The library also had a screened-in fireplace and several tables and stands in the room. There were large windows, so one would be able to read in the sunlight if they desired.

Marinette turned to Cat Noir, gave him a huge smile, her eyes were alight, and she said, "It's... absolutely amazing!"

Cat Noir's heart swelled with an indescribable emotion at seeing such a cheerful look on her face. He smiled, looked around, and said, "I guess so."

Marinette kept smiling. Cat Noir, delighted at seeing her happy face, said, "Then... If it makes you this happy, it's yours."

Marinette's eyes bulged with delight and said, "Really?! Thank you!"

Cat Noir felt a calm, happy warmth spread over him at seeing Marinette like that.

"I'll leave you to it." Cat Noir said, as he made to leave. He was wondering why he gave Marinette the library out of nowhere. He was feeling a little confused as to why he was acting the way he was.

"Hey, have you really read every single book that's in here?" Marinette asked Cat Noir.

He turned back to her, surprised she tried to make conversation with him again. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, scoffed, and said, "Well, no. Some of these are written in _Cat_ -onese."

Marinette stifled a laugh, before asking him, "Was that supposed to be a pun? So you're punning, now?"

Cat Noir was a little embarrassed he let a cat pun out of his mouth. He very nearly slapped himself in the face for making such a ridiculous move.

"Um, maybe... M'lady." Cat Noir said. He soon made for the door, trying to make himself scarce before he could embarrass himself again. Not only did he pun, but he called Marinette "M'Lady," which was something else he did not understand.

 _'He just called me "M'lady."_ _What was that about?'_ Marinette thought, giggling, and feeling a slight pang of affection for him..

She shook her head at this sudden change in Cat Noir. However, she smiled and started acting all giddy and cheerful. She was like a kid in a candy store in the library. Marinette was so happy, that she immediately started to tackle her reading.

Later that night at dinner, Marinette and Cat Noir were sitting at opposite ends of the table. They each had a basket with some bread rolls and a bowl of soup in front of them. Marinette was reading a book from the library while eating her dinner.

Cat Noir watched her, feeling his heart pound a bit. Seeing Marinette's smile made him feel very good for some reason. He was unsure of why.

While she was reading, Marinette was eating her soup with her spoon, breaking pieces of her bread rolls, and using the butterknife to spread butter on them.

Cat Noir's table manners were... not up to standard. He merely dunked his face into the bowl and started slurping his soup up without the use of a spoon. Marinette merely gave him an odd look and watched as he did this.

Cat Noir lifted his face up and saw Marinette was looking at him awkwardly. Though he was embarrassed, seeing Marinette laugh a bit at the sight of the soup all over his face and mouth made him feel a little better.

As days began to pass, Cat Noir and Marinette grew closer with each other. They were taking a walk in the garden together, and Marinette was reading a collection of Willam Sharp's poems to him as they walked.

"'The air is blue and keen and cold, with snow the roads and fields are white, but here the forest's clothed with light, and in a shining sheath enrolled,'" Marinette read, as she and Cat Noir were crossing a bridge in the garden. "'Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass, is clad miraculously in...'"

Cat Noir had stopped and was looking around the garden.

"...'Glass.'" Marinette finished, as she noticed Cat Noir had stopped walking on the bridge and was looking around at the scenery outside.

"Wow... It's like I've never seen such a beautiful scene before," Cat Noir said, and noticed Marinette was looking around at the scene. "Um... Is there any more to the poem?"

"Oh, right," Marinette said, as she remembered where she left off. "'For in that solemn silence is heard the whisper of every sleeping thing. 'Look, look at me. Come wake me up. For still here I be.'"

Marinette and Cat Noir made eye contact, and then they both looked away, embarrassed. Cat Noir was especially embarrassed at making eye contact with such a beauty as Marinette.

Later on in the garden, Cat Noir was trying to approach Phillipe. He tried to get close to the horse, but Phillipe whinnied and moved away, startled. As Cat Noir was a little confused on what to do, Marinette stepped in.

She gently shushed Phillipe as she put her hand between his muzzle and forehead. Cat Noir drew a bit closer.

Marinette then took his hand - much to his surprise - and gently placed it on Phillipe's body. Cat Noir and Marinette once again made eye contact.

Cat Noir was astonished that Marinette was able to look him in the eyes _and_ touch his hand without shuddering or any other negative reaction. Cat Noir's heart throbbed. He swore that if his face was not covered in black hair, he would be as red as Marinette's dress.

Marinette gave him a smile and left him with her horse.

 _"There's something sweet, and very kind."_ Marinette sang, as she started to walk up the first flight of stairs on the bridge that led to another part of the gardens.

 _"But he was mean, and he was coarse, and unrefined."_ Marinette sang, as she watched as Cat Noir. He was getting closer to her horse. He shook his head, similar to Phillipe, and Cat Noir started laughing a bit. Marinette herself giggled.

 _"And now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't seen it there before."_ Marinette sang, as she reached the top of the first flight of stairs. She took some of the snow that was on the bridge.

She threw a snowball at Cat Noir, and she hit him in the shoulder. Cat Noir looked up and saw Marinette laughing happily.

"Two can play at that game, Bugaboo!" Cat Noir said, as he started laughing.

He took an even bigger snowball and threw it at Marinette. He hit Marinette square in the face and then she landed on her back in the snow on the bridge. Cat Noir kept laughing.

 _"She glanced this way, I thought I saw."_ Cat Noir sang, as he and Marinette were once again eating dinner together.

Marinette gestured for him to come sit next to her at her side of the table. Cat Noir smiled, accepting her invitation. He felt his heart flutter.

 _"And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw,"_ Cat Noir sang, as he took his bowl into his hands, and stood up to go and sit next to Marinette. _"No, it can't be. I'll just ignore. But then, she's never looked at me that way before."_

He sat next to Marinette at the corner of the table. He was about to once again put his face into his bowl, but he stopped. He did not want to embarrass himself in front of Marinette again.

Sensing this, Marinette had an idea. She put her spoon down, took her bowl up, and drank it from the bowl. Cat Noir smiled and followed Marinette's example. They both drank their soup from the bowl and then they shared a laugh together.

In the ballroom, Alya and her fellow feather dusters were cleaning up the place. They were knocking down all of the dust and cobwebs that were hanging on the chandeliers, sweeping the floors, and just brightening the room.

Marinette was on the upper level in the ballroom.

 _"New and a bit alarming."_ Marinette sang, as she affectionately watched Cat Noir through the window.

He was getting along better with Phillipe and the horse was already snuggling up to the monstrous cat. Cat Noir began to chuckle as he pet Phillipe.

 _"Who'd have ever thought that this could be?"_ Marinette sang, with a light blush in her face. Alya and her crew were still cleaning up the ballroom, and it was looking even better than before.

The pair was soon back in the library.

 _"True, that he's no prince charming,"_ Marinette sang. She had climbed a ladder and took out another book. _"But there's something in him that I simply didn't see."_

Marinette had placed the book on a stack that Cat Noir was carrying. While it was a little heavy for him, Cat Noir did not mind. Anything to make Marinette happy.

 _"Well, who'd have thought?"_ Alya sang. She, Nino, Theo, Nadja, and Manon were in the library, too. They were watching Cat Noir and Marinette spending time together.

 _"Well, bless my soul."_ Nadja sang.

 _"Well, who'd have known?"_ Theo sang, impressed.

 _"Well, who indeed? And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?"_ Nino sang, impressed.

 _"It's so peculiar."_ Nadja sang.

 _"We'll wait and see, a few days more. There may be something there that was once there before."_ Everyone sang.

Marinette and Cat Noir put the books down. Marinette took the book from the top and she opened it.

 _"And here's a thought. There may be something there that was once there before."_ Theo sang, feeling a little more optimistic. Nino smiled and nodded in agreement, while Alya giggled.

"What?" Manon asked. She and her mother were still rolling away on the tea cart.

 _"There may be something there that was once there before."_ Nadja sang.

"What? What's there?" Manon asked.

"...I'll tell you once you're older." Nadja said.

Manon scooted back a bit, turned her back for a few seconds, and then she cuddled up against her mother, saying, "I'm older now!"

"Oh, Manon..." Nadja said, as she giggled at her daughter's antics.

The teapot and teacup left the library to leave Marinette and Cat Noir alone.

* * *

 **FINALLY! I thought I'd never get this chapter done. I was unsure of where to stop in this chapter. With the extra scenes, I had to do something.**

 **I was even contemplating writing in a scene where Adrien gives Marinette roses as a way to apologize. I was thinking that between roses being his mother's favorite flower and the fact that a rose was sort of the reason Cat Noir's stuck this way to begin with, that roses would be a heavy topic for Adrien.**

 **And I know Cantonese is a form of Chinese and I know that Adrien is fluent in Chinese, but I _had_ to put in his punning _somehow_!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter! Here, Marinette and Cat Noir grow closer, and Marinette learns something about her mother! Meanwhile, Tom is in trouble back at the village. If you want to find out what's going to happen, quit dawdling and start reading, my friends!**

 **And before we get started here, I feel like I need to justify my choice of Kim for the role of Gaston a bit. Out of all of the boys I've seen on the show, Kim is the most conceited and competitive. Nathanael's personality is too timid and sweet, and I don't know why, but Theo doesn't do it for me, either.**

 **And as for why I chose Kim and Max for these roles, diehard fans of the show will remember that Max and Kim are good friends and are often seen together.**

 **So that's my rant, now let's get back to the show!**

* * *

Another day had broken, and all was peaceful at the castle. Marinette had fully settled in, now comfortable in her new surroundings. The staff members were so kind and welcoming to her, as if she were not even a prisoner. As a matter of fact, as her time at the castle went on, it felt more like home and less like a prison.

She did not even see her captor as a menacing monster anymore. Marinette had found that under that furry exterior was someone as sweet as a little kitten instead of a ferocious wildcat of some sort.

She had misunderstood him. While they had gotten off on the wrong foot - or paw, in his case - when they first met, after the wolf attack and bonding over their shared love of reading, Marinette felt she had finally found a kindred spirit aside from her father. It made her feel more at ease. The fact that no one ridiculed her for her love of reading also made her happy.

As Marinette was reading in the library, she looked to her side and saw the vase of red roses that were on the table. She smiled, remembering how she had gotten them.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Marinette was on the top story of the library, sitting near the window. She was looking outside and saw how beautiful the snow was. While she had initially found snow in the middle of the summer months to be strange, she had pieced together that the spell caused an eternal wintertime, too. Everyone in the castle confirmed it, too._

 _She finished her book, and started to go down the stairs to put it away and get another one to read. Marinette made her way to the ladder to put the book back, when she heard the door to the library open._

 _"I was hoping you'd be here, M'lady," Cat Noir said, as he came into the library. He was holding something behind his back. "I hope you don't find my sudden purr-esence here disturbing."_

 _"Honestly, Cat Noir, your puns..." Marinette said, shaking her head and stifling her laughter while striding over to him. "But you're welcome in here. This is YOUR castle, after all."_

 _"You're so kind, Bugaboo," Cat Noir said, blushing. "That's why I brought you something from the gardens."_

 _Cat Noir took out a vase of red roses from behind him. The roses were in full bloom, and the fine china of the black vase was decorated intricately with red filigrees. Marinette's eyes lit up in delight at this gift._

 _The staff had told her that roses were the favorite flower of Cat Noir's late mother. They had explained that a rose was also part of the reason the curse was cast. When the enchantress visited and offered the king a rose for shelter, he turned up his nose at it. And they did not have to say what else had happened after that, since Marinette already knew. As such, Marinette had figured out that roses were a bit of a heavy topic for Cat Noir, and it explained why he reacted the way he did to Tom picking a rose for her._

 _"For me?" Marinette asked, as she gently took the vase from Cat Noir._

 _"Yes." Cat Noir said, as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, and smiled at Marinette._

 _"I love them!" Marinette said, as she subtly took in the roses' sweet scent. She then put the vase down on the table. "Thank you so much!"_

 _"It's my pleasure, Ladybug." Cat Noir said._

 _Cat Noir watched as Marinette gazed at the roses. He was sorely tempted to put his arm around her shoulder. He had become fonder and fonder of Marinette as their time together went by. While he was unsure of how he felt, he was happy knowing Marinette was not afraid of him anymore. The fact that he had willingly given roses to her was also a big progress. Since they were such a touchy subject for him, the staff saw this as a big step forward for him._

 _They were hoping that the curse would be broken yet._

 _~End of Flashback~_

Marinette's smile grew bigger when she thought about how sweet it was of Cat Noir to give her roses, especially since she knew how precious that flower was to him. She giggled at the thought.

Out of her peripheral vision, Marinette saw Cat Noir out in the garden, sitting on a bench in the rose groves - unknown to Marinette, it was the exact spot where Cat Noir had attacked Tom. Marinette had finished her book, so she decided to put it away and go out into the garden to spend time with Cat Noir.

As Marinette took up her red and black-spotted cloak and walked through the gardens, she approached Cat Noir. He was sitting on the bench, reading a book. The look on his face was a peaceful, somewhat smitten smile.

"What are you reading?" Marinette inquired.

Noticing she was there, Cat immediately shut the book and straightened up. He seemed nervous about something, as he tried to play it off by saying, "Oh, nothing important."

Marinette approached the bench to sit down. She saw the title of the book and with a knowing smile, she said, "Oh, Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," huh? Yet another one of his classic works."

"Actually, I was reading "King Arthur and the Round Table." You know, fighting, knights, action and adventure." Cat Noir lied.

"I saw the title of the book, Cat, and I know what that book is. It _is_ a romance." Marinette said, as she sat down next to Cat Noir.

"Okay, you caught me." Cat Noir said, admitting defeat.

He was embarrassed about being caught reading a romance. When he initially picked up the book, he saw himself in the role of Benedick while Marinette was Beatrice. He felt that his current relationship with Marinette mirrored Benedick and Beatrice, to a degree. The primary thing he saw was that they would often be in a battle of wits, similar to him and Marinette.

"But since we're talking... I never thanked you for saving me from those wolves." Marinette said, admitting to her lack of manners.

She had no excuse for not thanking him earlier. Considering everything that happened during and after the wolf attack, and add that to the fact that at the time, she was still angry over her situation, it could be argued that Marinette forgot about thanking him at all.

" _I_ never thanked you for _not_ leaving me to be eaten by them. It would have been _cat_ -astrophic." Cat Noir said.

Marinette once again stifled a giggle, having to endure yet another one of Cat Noir's puns. She scooted a bit closer to him. Cat Noir noticed and his smile grew just a touch bigger.

They heard some happy laughter and chatter coming from inside. It was the rest of the staff, having fun with one another. They seemed to be playing a game of sorts, or otherwise finding some way to entertain themselves.

"They certainly know how to have fun." Marinette commented.

"Yeah. If only they'd _stay_ that happy whenever I walk into the room. Whenever I come in, all of the joy just dies out." Cat Noir said, albeit with a cynical smile.

"I know the feeling," Marinette said, much to Cat Noir's surprise. "Back in Villeneuve, everyone would say that I'm a funny girl, all because I like to read. I knew they were saying because they didn't have an open mind to it. Out of spite, one might say."

"I'm sorry," Cat Noir said, his ears drooping a bit at the notion. They then perked up again. "That village of yours sounds horrible. They can't appreciate what you have to offer."

"Thank you. The village was about as lonely as here at the castle." Marinette said, with a bit of a laugh.

Cat Noir chuckled along with her. However, his ears perked up when he had an idea.

"Hey Ladybug... Why not run away together?" Cat Noir said, catching Marinette's attention. She was confused.

Cat Noir looked back at the castle. A smile slowly grew on his face. He gently took Marinette's hand and began to lead her inside.

* * *

Cat Noir had brought Marinette back into the library, and he had gotten another book out. This one had a more solid cover, and there were latches on it that kept the book closed unless someone wanted otherwise.

"What's that?" Marinette asked.

"Just another gift from the Enchantress. A book that truly and _quite literally_ allows you to escape." Cat Noir said, as he opened up the book, and blew off the dust on the pages.

He placed it on the bookstand, and let Marinette take a look. It had a map of the world, with all of the continents on the globe sparkling and glowing. It had a very magical feel to it, and Marinette was in complete awe at the sight.

"Wow... It's incredible." Marinette said, her eyes alight.

"Not really. It was her cruelest stunt of all of them. All it is is another curse." Cat Noir scoffed.

Marinette kept gazing at the beauty of the book itself. Meanwhile, Cat Noir was a little despondent about it.

"The truth is, a creature as grotesque as me... I have no place in the outside world," Cat Noir said, as Marinette turned to look at him. "You, on the other hand, do."

Cat Noir took Marinette's hand and had her place it on the book. He instructed, "Think of the place that you've always wanted to see. Find it in your mind's eye, and feel it with your heart."

Marinette spread her fingers out on the pages of the book. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The magic flowed from her fingertips all across the map on the pages. The scene faded, and then the clouds and skies sparkled. It was as if Marinette and Cat Noir were flying amongst the clouds, and then the scene turned into the technologically-advanced, artistic, beautiful city of Paris, the capital of France. The scene panned over to an old windmill. The mill was still turning, but the wood had aged and it was rotting down a bit.

Cat Noir and Marinette were magically transported into the attic of the windmill. The interior of the windmill seemed about as bad off as the exterior. Curious, Cat Noir looked around before asking, "Um, Ladybug... where are we?"

"We're in Paris." Marinette said, carefully looking around, observing the surroundings.

"Paris? Wow, I love this city," Cat Noir enthusiastically said, as he went to the window to look outside. "Say, where do you want to go first, Bugaboo? The Louvre? How about the Palais du Luxembourg? Maybe even the Champs-Elysées?"

Marinette was tuning Cat Noir out. Instead, she kept looking around at the room, as if there was something she was trying to figure out.

Cat Noir had been internally listing out spots that he wanted to take Marinette out on a date. However, he noticed that Marinette was not paying attention to what he was saying. He turned around and watched her, before kindly asking, "...Too much tourism for your taste?"

Cat Noir looked back out the window to look at the scenery outside. Marinette, on the other hand, was still looking around the room.

"I pictured it to be so much bigger..." Marinette said. She looked down and saw that there were some sketches of a baby's head and face on the chair. She picked one up, and realized something: she was the baby in the sketch.

 _"This is the Paris of my childhood. These were the borders of my life,"_ Marinette sang, as she rubbed her hand along the easel in the room, and then gently touched the dead flowers in the vase. _"In this crumbling, dusty attic, where an artist loved his wife."_

Cat Noir looked over to Marinette. He watched with sympathy in his eyes as she maneuvered around the room.

Marinette slowly began walking over to the bed, singing, _"Easy to remember, harder to move on..."_

On a stool next to the bed, Marinette saw a pen that looked like a red rose. She recognized this pen as the exact same one from one of her father's paintings of her mother.

Marinette picked up the pen, and sat on the bed, singing, _"Knowing the Paris of my childhood... Is gone."_

Cat Noir walked around the room, and there was a question on his mind that was nagging at him.

"So... You know about what happened to my mother, but... What about yours?" Cat Noir asked, cautiously.

"That was the one thing that my father couldn't talk about even if he wanted to," Marinette explained. "So I have no idea."

Cat Noir saw something on a chair nearby, and then he picked it up, saying, "Hey, a doctor's mask..."

However, he immediately remembered seeing one when he was a child - the day his own mother passed away.

He looked to Marinette and solemnly said, "Oh no... Plague."

The scene around them melted into a flashback.

 _~Flashback_

 _A doctor, wearing the mask, was packing a medical bag. A smaller Chinese woman, covered in rash spots all over her face, and coughing heavily, was lying in the bed._

 _The doctor stood up, and then he turned to a younger Tom, who was not as muscular as he would be in present time, nor did he have his mustache or sideburns._

 _The doctor told Tom, "You have to leave._ _NOW_ _."_

 _Tom was looking at his wife in distress, feeling horrible about the concept of leaving her behind. Doctor's orders or not, he did not want to do such a thing._

 _"Hurry... Before it takes her, as well." Sabine weakly said, as the sound of a crying baby could be heard._

 _Tom, hearing his wife's last wish, shed a tear. As Sabine took the same rose pen and kissed it, she began sobbing at the fact that she would never live to see Marinette grow up to be a woman she could be proud of._

 _Tom approached the crib, and then he gently took baby Marinette into his arms, only to cause Marinette to cry even louder._

 _~End of Flashback~_

As the sounds of the crying faded, Marinette started to sob while gently rocking the same cradle that she had slept in as a baby.

Cat Noir watched Marinette as she cried. He felt really terrible about what had happened. The same, horrid disease that took away his mother was exactly what took Sabine's life, too. It was something he and Marinette had in common.

And that was not the only thing that Cat Noir realized. He saw that Tom did not want to lose Sabine, but he had no choice. If he could have saved both Marinette and Sabine, Cat Noir realized that Tom would have done just that. But instead, he listened to his dying wife's plea and took Marinette to safety to protect her from the disease. The fact that Tom was willing to protect Marinette at all costs was very admirable.

It was a lot more than Cat Noir could ever say for his own father. In a way, he was grateful that the enchantress had turned his father into stone. At least once the spell was broken, he would not have to worry about his father interfering with his happiness again. That was the one saving grace of this curse, as far as he was concerned.

"I can't believe I ever called your father a "dirty thief"... I'm so sorry." Cat Noir said, as he came over to Marinette, and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

Marinette turned to him, tears still in her eyes, and quietly asked, "...Can we please get out of here and go home?"

Cat Noir nodded, and then he gently gave Marinette a hug to comfort her. He made an internal promise to himself to make Marinette happy. He gently and quietly shushed her as he rocked her gently to help her calm down.

* * *

That evening, back at Villeneuve, it was pouring rain and there was thunder and lightning out, too. Nothing had changed, minus Marinette's absence.

Either no one noticed she was gone, or they did not care. The only one who _did_ care about her absence was Kim.

He and Max were speed-walking through the village, using their hats to cover their heads and keep the rain off them.

"This storm came out of nowhere, huh?" Max said, as he and Kim were making their way to the tavern for shelter. The pair made it under the canopy of the building, where the stairs to the tavern was.

"It could be _a lot_ worse. We could be tied up to a tree in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by man-eating wolves..." Max said, once again trying to convince Kim to go back for Tom for the umpteenth time.

Kim glared at Max to get him to shut up, causing Max to swallow a lump in his throat.

Max knew that Kim crossed the line when he left Tom for dead at the mercy of wolves. But Max also did not have the guts to call Kim out on those actions, leaving him to try and convince Kim to do the right thing. Sadly for Max, nothing he did or said would convince Kim to save Tom.

Kim was not listening to Max as the two of them went down the stairs into the tavern.

"Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Tom tied to that tree... When I open them, I..." Max said, but noticed that Kim had stopped on the stairs.

Looking forward, Max saw that Tom was alive and well, and he was sitting at the center table of the tavern. Sister Bustier was there, too, sitting next to him. Kim was surprised that Tom was there, meanwhile Max was relieved.

Everyone went silent when Kim entered the room and began looking at him.

"Tom! Oh, thank goodness..." Max said in genuine relief, but Kim elbowed him to shut him up.

Kim had absolutely no clue how Tom had escaped and came back to the village, but the fact that he was alive was disconcerting. Kim did not want anymore interference from Tom.

However, that was the least of Kim's concerns at the moment.

The tavern keeper stepped forward and asked, "Kim, did you try to kill Tom?"

Kim immediately realized what had happened: Tom had somehow survived and was telling people what had happened, about what Kim had done. But Kim refused to back down and be seen as the bad guy. If he wanted Marinette's hand in marriage, he knew he had to make himself look good.

"Why Tom... What a relief," Kim lied, as he began to approach Tom. "I've been looking for you for the past five days. Glad to see you're okay."

"Says the man who left me for dead at the mercy of wolves!" Tom said, crossing his arms and glaring at Kim.

"Wolves? Really?" Kim said, continuing his charade. "Accusing me of trying to murder you is going too far, especially when compared to raving about your delusions."

"Do you have _any_ proof of your claims, Tom?" Monsieur Dominick asked.

"Ask Rochelle," Tom said, pointing out Rochelle, who was standing near the fireplace. "She was the one who saved me."

"Rochelle!" Kim laughed, as he approached Rochelle. "You'd hang your allegations on the testimony of someone like _her_?"

"Hey!" Rochelle barked back, causing Kim to recoil. "Whatever you're implying, you're being _quite_ rude!"

Tom realized that having Rochelle speak up for him was probably a bad idea since she did not witness the events.

Tom immediately made eye contact with Max, and then he said, "Monsieur Max. You were there, so you saw everything."

Realizing he was put on the spot, Max weakly asked, "M-Me?"

"That's right." Kim said, as he soon made his way over to his friend. Kim immediately knew that no matter what, Max would always say something to back him up.

"Don't take my word for it. Max, tell me," Kim said, as he put one of his hands on Max's shoulder, and lifted Max's chin with the other. "Did I, you're _oldest, most loyal friend_ , and _most faithful companion_ , dare try to kill the father of the woman of my dreams?"

Max swallowed a lump in his throat again, before saying, "Well, on a lot of accounts, that question is pretty..."

Kim jerked Max's body to look him in the eye. Kim had a pretty angry look on his face, and his body language was telling Max, "Lie or else."

"But... No. No, he didn't." Max said, loud enough for everyone in the tavern to hear.

Seeing that his only eyewitness would lie to cover Kim's flank, Tom was upset.

"Why, you...!" Tom began, as he started to angrily approach Kim. Tom held his hand up, but just as he was about to punch Kim, Kim caught Tom's wrist and started to twist it to stop him.

Kim grew a twisted, evil smile on his face. He had another horrendous plan to get Marinette to be his wife cooking up in his head.

"Oh, Tom... I hate to say this, but you're becoming a hazard to other people as well as yourself," Kim said. "I don't blame Ladybug for leaving."

Tom was in shock that Kim had spewed yet another lie, but he did not bother saying anything otherwise. He knew that Kim would just keep lying his way out.

"Sir, you need help. A place to soothe your weary brain." Kim said, rubbing Tom's shoulders, before turning Tom over to John, Dick, and Stanley. They began approaching Tom.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay." Kim said, in false reassurance.

Sister Bustier's eyes went wide, and Max watched on, unable to do anything. He began to see a side of Kim that he had never seen before, and Max was unsure of what to do.

Tom's eyes also went wide and his blood ran cold. He knew where this was going... The asylum.

* * *

 **Oh, crap... This doesn't look good for Tom.**

 **Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as short as it was. I was planning on trying to write a larger chapter, but I think it would have been moving too quickly with the story. And I wanted to write some more scenes where our main pair grows closer to each other, to add something to the story.**

 **I was also having a bit of trouble with knowing when to put in Cat's puns. I only saw an opportunity for two in this part, so I'm not sure how I can add more in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I had exams to worry about, and I didn't want to post too many chapters to this story at once. Truth is, this chapter was fully ready when the last one got posted.**

 **But enough about that. Now it's time for the big dance scene! I hope you like what I've come up with, especially with the song itself. I added some parts to this chapter, too, so I hope you pay attention to that!**

 **Enjoy the show!**

* * *

Back at the castle, things could not be any better. In Cat Noir's bedroom in the west wing, everyone was helping him get ready. Cat Noir himself was behind a curtain, taking a bath.

He was getting ready for a dance with Marinette, and he was making the upmost efforts to look his best for the girl. However, what he was embarrassed about was _how_ the whole thing came about.

"I can't believe what I said back there..." Cat Noir said, embarrassed.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Cat Noir was walking through the halls of the castle. He saw that the door to the ballroom was open, and he looked inside. He saw that Marinette was twirling around on the dance floor, as if she were in her own world. Her solo dance movements were smooth, and she seemed happy. Cat Noir saw how elegant she looked, how calm and peaceful her facial expression was, and heard her humming. Her voice sounded as sweet as honey, and it reminded him of some of the songbirds out in the garden._

 _Cat Noir was once again entranced at how beautiful she was._ _It only made his feelings for her grow stronger._

 _He cleared his throat, getting Marinette's attention. Marinette stopped her dance, turned to him, and gave him a playful smile before saying, "Hey, kitty."_

 _Cat Noir had no idea when it started or why, but Marinette had taken to calling him "kitty." He assumed that it was for the same reasons as his nicknames for her, though he would still call her "Ladybug" on occasion. He hoped and prayed with all of his heart that Marinette would someday call him "Adrien."_

 _"M'lady, you're making everything around you look absolutely ravishing. Granted, it pales in comparison to you," Cat Noir said, rubbing the back of his neck. He spoke from his heart, sounding so sincere. "We should have a dance tonight, or something."_

 _Marinette grew a big smile on her face. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded her head in delight, saying, "I'd love to dance tonight!"_

 _She had not danced in a long time, and she was happy to hear the suggestion._

 _Cat Noir's smile disappeared in surprise, since the last part was a partial joke on his end._

 _But his smile returned, and he shrugged while saying, "I'll be counting the minutes, Bugaboo."_

 _Cat Noir immediately left the room, embarrassed beyond words. He was happy that he got the chance to spend time with Marinette, but now he had to really step up his game in order to win her over._

 _He had noticed that there were only a few petals left on the rose. Cat Noir immediately realized that if he wanted this spell broken, he had to act fast._

 _~End of Flashback~_

"I never thought she'd say "yes!" What was I thinking?!" Cat Noir said, as he kept washing himself. He wanted to be very thorough for Marinette.

"Dude, you had the right idea! The rose only has five petals left! Tonight, you _have_ to tell Ladybug how you feel, bra!" Nino said.

Cat Noir stood up and let his face show over the curtain. He was soaking wet, with water pouring out of the fur on his face in cascades. He also had some suds scattered about him.

"I _feel_ like an _idiot_ _!_ She'll _never_ love me!" Cat Noir said, insecure.

Even after everything that had happened between him and Marinette, Cat Noir was _still_ doubtful that he would win her over. He felt that he was not good enough for her, or that she could do better than him. At the same time, he felt that she was his only chance at regaining his humanity.

"Have some confidence, dude!" Nino said, as Cat Noir shook himself and splashed water all over Nino. Nino spat water out of his mouth, and reignited his wicks again. "She's _the one_."

"Stop saying that," Cat Noir said, as he put on a forest green bathrobe and sat at the vanity. "You're only making things worse. There is no "one," Nino!"

"Come on, Adrien," Nino said. He was getting tired of Cat Noir's pessimism. "You care about Marinette, don't you?"

Cat Noir's face fell, with a combination of embarrassment and acceptance. He thought about everything he and Marinette had been through together, from the first time they met, to when he had brought her to Paris through the magical book. Now, he was about to share his first dance with her; he felt a combination of anxiety and excitement. Nino was right: Cat Noir _did_ care about Marinette a lot. It was at the point where the thought of Marinette being sad made him depressed. Cat Noir had never expected to fall for a girl, especially not as hard as he did for Marinette.

He gave a slow nod, and quietly said, "Of course I do... I care about her more than anything in the world."

This confirmed Nino's suspicions, and motivated him to encourage his friend again.

"Then this is the chance to show her how you feel! Woo her with beautiful music and romantic candlelight!" Nino said, gesturing with his "arms" to emphasize the importance.

"And once the moment is right..." Alya said, tickling Cat Noir's face with her feathers. "You come out with it, and tell Ladybug your feelings!"

"How will I know, Alya? It's the first time I've done this, you guys." Cat Noir said, admitting his anxiety.

"You'll feel it in your gut. Like you're about to puke." Theo said, sarcastically.

"Not helping, Theo!" Cat Noir said, agitated with the mantle clock.

"Just calm down, and tell Marinette that you love her. If you don't, I swear you'll have to drink cold tea for the rest of your life!" Nadja said, determined to get Cat Noir to fess up.

"In complete black of night!" Nino said, inching closer to Cat Noir's face.

"All dusty." Alya threatened.

Cat Noir's facial expression grew scared, as that was not something he wanted.

"Dark and dusty!" Nino said, trying to drive the point. He wanted to motivate Cat Noir to reveal his feelings for Marinette. "Okay, guys! Let's get him cleaned up! Start with the fur."

"I'll get the claws!" Nadja said, as she poured steamy water into Manon, and had Cat Noir dip his claws into the little teacup.

"I'll clean up the teeth! They need it!" Theo said, as he shoved a toothbrush into Cat Noir's mouth and began scrubbing.

"Okay... Snip a bit..." Nino said, as he tried to cut Cat Noir's hair.

"Close your eyes!" Alya said, as she puffed some powder onto Cat's face.

"Brush the ears... And there!" Nino said, before turning Cat Noir to the mirror.

He looked horrible. His face was pure white, and the cheeks were a very ugly shade of red. The wig on top of his head was also unflattering. The only thing that looked good was Cat Noir's newly-cleaned teeth.

"...That's terrible. Let's start over from the top and fix this, people!" Nino said, and then everyone started over, first washing the powder and makeup off Cat Noir's face.

Marinette, on the other hand, had an easy time getting ready. Her hair was not in its usual pigtails. This time, it was styled in a short, slightly loose side braid that fell over her left shoulder, and it was fastened with a red rose pin. Her makeup was subtle and minimal, which made her look very radiant. She was also wearing a ladybug necklace.

She was also sewing something with a needle and thread, and she was holding a big bundle of red fabric.

"The dress is finished," Marinette said, as she held it up for Myléne to see. "I haven't made any dresses since I first came here. Aside from reading, it was one of my favorite hobbies back in the village. I thought that since this is a special occasion, why not make my own dress for the night?"

As Myléne was looking her dress over, she said, "Oh, how beautiful! But there's something missing... Aha! The final touch!"

Using magic, the black filigrees from the interior of the room magically flew down from the ceiling and walls, and then they affixed themselves onto the hems of the tiers of the skirt of Marinette's dress.

In a matter of minutes, Marinette was standing on the top of the staircase that went to the east wing. Her dress was red, had black off-the-shoulder sleeves, a sweetheart neckline with the top edge also in black, had a three-tiered skirt, with the black accents on the hems. Her shoes were matching red kitten heels, and she had a big, happy smile on her face.

Marinette was looking across the way, and there stood Cat Noir. He was standing on the top of the stairs leading to the west wing. He was wearing a fancy, green suit, with a frilly necktie and well-groomed fur. Seeing how beautiful Marinette looked in her dress, Cat Noir grew a very subtle, lovesick smile on his face.

The two walked down their flight of stairs, met at the top of the next flight, and then Marinette put her hand over Cat Noir's. The two of them started to walk down the main staircase together.

 _"Tale as old as time. True as it can be."_ Mrs. Chamack sang. She was at the bottom of the staircase, sitting on the tea cart with Manon.

As Marinette and Cat Noir were walking into the ballroom, Nadja and Manon started to slowly roll in after them. Mother and daughter were trying to be mindful so that they would not ruin the moment.

Marinette and Cat Noir seemed to be very at ease with one another. Cat Noir was happy that Marinette was still able to touch him without getting upset or scared. It made him feel so much better, and it gave him hope that he had a chance to break the spell.

 _"Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly."_

The pair entered the ballroom, where Nino, Theo, and Ivan were waiting. Ivan was playing music, while the others were standing on top of him.

 _"Just a little change. Yet, they've come so far."_ Mrs. Chamack sang, as Ivan continued to play music.

Marinette and Cat Noir reached the center of the ballroom.

Cat Noir looked around for a brief second, as he was impressed with how good the ballroom looked. He had to hand it to Alya and the feather dusters. The ballroom looked like new.

 _"Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_ Mrs. Chamack sang.

Marinette and Cat Noir turned to face each other. Marinette did a deep curtsy, and looked up at Cat Noir with a smile on her face. Cat Noir gave a deep bow to Marinette before rising back up. Since he had not danced in such a long time, he was out of practice. Noticing this, Marinette held out her hands. Cat Noir got the hint, and put his paws on her hands.

 _"Ever just the same."_

Marinette then started to lead the dance. She stretched one arm out while bending the other and moving to one side, while smiling at her partner.

 _"Ever a surprise."_

Cat Noir followed her movements, and then while holding her hands, he spun Marinette around while staying in place, before doing an underarm turn with her.

 _"Ever as before, ever just as sure, as the sun will rise."_

Marinette then put her hand on Cat Noir's hand, stood side by side with him, and then took a few elegant steps in time with him. They put their hands together back to back, and would move and switch them around a bit. Marinette still held her skirt, and Cat Noir had his other hand behind his back. By this point, Cat Noir had gotten the hang of it and was back to dancing like a professional. It was as if he never stopped. He took Marinette's free hand, and she understood what he wanted.

Marinette and Cat Noir then got into a waltz position with each other and started waltzing together.

 _"Tale as old as time. Tune as old as song."_

Up on the top of the columns, the "orchestra" kept playing the music and Marinette would switch between Cat Noir's arms, while partially spinning out and then spinning back in.

 _"Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong."_

Marinette then spun out and around while letting go of Cat Noir's hands. He then approached her, they joined hands again, and kept waltzing together. Nino, Ivan, and Theo were still watching, delighted that Cat Noir and Marinette were dancing together.

They then danced into the center of the room again. Cat Noir then made the first move and dipped her down low, holding her by the waist with one hand and holding her neck with the other hand. Marinette had one hand behind his neck, too, while her other hand was on his arm. They were looking into each other's eyes, while the lights were dimming.

Cat Noir wanted to kiss her so badly. His heart was throbbing with desire for her lips. Even though he wanted to give in and kiss her, he was uncomfortable with the idea of kissing her while having nothing but fur around his own lips. He was also wondering what Marinette was thinking, too.

For her part, Marinette was enjoying herself, too. For some reason, she also had the urge to be intimate with Cat Noir.

 _"Certain as the sun, bright as any star."_

He then lifted her up off the floor, while holding onto her waist with one hand. The lights from the candles in the chandeliers were sparkling while Cat Noir spun around, while Marinette held on to his neck. They were so close, and Cat Noir could feel his love for Marinette welling up inside of him, as if a volcano were about to erupt. He then gently put her down and they resumed their waltz.

 _"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_

They kept dancing, nearing a door to an outdoor balcony. They kept doing underarm turns, amongst other moves.

 _"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_

With one last spin, Cat Noir and Marinette ended their dance, and Cat Noir gave her a smile. He held out his arm, and Marinette put her hand over it. The two of them started to walk out to the balcony.

"Wow... I haven't danced in forever," Cat Noir said. "I nearly forgot the feeling."

Cat Noir noticed Marinette staring off into the distance. Looking at her, he saw that even in the darkness of the night, combined with the light from inside, Marinette was absolutely beautiful. Her bluebell eyes were glowing from the dim light of the night, the stars in the sky were subtly reflected in them, while her bluish-black hair was shining from the backlighting from the ballroom. Cat Noir's heart was pounding, hoping that Marinette had fallen for him as he did for her.

"I guess it's stupid... For a monstrosity like me to hope... He may one day earn your love." Cat Noir said, biting the bullet and speaking from his heart.

Marinette was surprised to hear this from Cat Noir. She looked at him and blinked a bit.

 _'Man, this is humiliating. You basically said, "I love you!" Of course she's going to say "no," you dolt!'_ Cat Noir thought, bracing himself for the rejection.

"...I don't think it's stupid at all." Marinette said with a shrug.

Cat Noir was happily surprised with this answer. Hearing this gave him hope that the spell would be broken.

"Really? You think it's possible... you could be happy here?" Cat Noir asked, chancing it.

Marinette's face fell a bit. She looked back at Cat Noir before saying, "I'm honestly unsure of how _anyone_ can be happy when they're not free."

Cat Noir's stomach and heart dropped. At that very moment, he remembered her position in the castle. When he thought back on how everything started with her, he was ashamed of his behavior. He felt more shame at that very moment than when they had first met. In fact, just thinking about what he had done made him want to throw up. Ironically, Cat Noir thought this was what Theo was referring to earlier.

Noticing his discomfort, Marinette changed the subject.

"I was so much younger when I was learning how to dance. I would often trip over my own two feet, step on others' toes, face-plant into the floor, etc. I was a total klutz as a child."

"You really had me fooled back there in the ballroom, Bugaboo," Cat Noir said, trying to lighten the mood with his nickname for her. "You were so graceful."

"Well, my father was a great dance teacher." Marinette said, with a sad sigh.

Marinette's father, Tom... Cat Noir had to give him credit. If not for him, Cat Noir would not have met Marinette, nor have felt any hope of becoming a human again.

Cat Noir immediately saw the depressed look on Marinette's face. He remembered that it was his fault that Marinette was so sad without her father around. If he were to ever see Tom again, Cat Noir would personally apologize for what he did.

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" Cat Noir said.

Marinette turned to look at Cat Noir, and she nodded before saying, "Yes, I do."

An idea immediately came to Cat Noir, and he grew a smile on his face. He asked Marinette, "Do you want to see him?"

Marinette looked at Cat Noir in surprise and confusion. He gently took Marinette's hand and started to lead her through the ballroom again, with one destination in mind.

* * *

Cat Noir had brought Marinette back to the west wing. He had told her about the magic mirror and explained how to work it.

Marinette took it up off the table, looked into the glass, and then she said, "I'd like to see my father, please...?"

She was skeptical at first, but then the mirror flashed. In the glass, the mirror revealed Tom being dragged out of the tavern, being followed by an angry crowd. The men were being very rough with him. While she could not hear what was going on, she could tell her father was in trouble.

"Papa... No, what are they doing to him?!" Marinette said, gasping in shock. Cat Noir paid close attention to this. "They're hurting him! He needs help!"

Seeing Marinette's panic, Cat Noir looked to the rose, still in its bell dome. He saw how few petals were left, but he did not care. His facial expression hardened, his fists were balled, and he thought, _'Screw it.'_

"Then you have to go to him." Cat Noir said, not looking away from the rose.

Marinette looked at him in surprise before asking, "What was that?"

Cat Noir looked to Marinette, before repeating, "Y-You have to go to him, Ladybug. There isn't any time."

Marinette was surprised that he said this. She nodded, and then she tried to give him back the mirror.

"No, keep it," Cat Noir said, looking Marinette in the eyes. "So you can always have a way to remember me."

Marinette had a few tears stream down her face. She would never admit it out loud, but in spite of her imprisonment, she felt more at home at the castle than she ever did at the village. Minus Cat Noir at first, everyone in the castle welcomed her with open arms. She was respected and admired for her passion for books and reading, and everyone saw and treated her as someone important. Even after she learned about the curse, she did not care and everyone treated her the same as normal.

Cat Noir put his paw on her cheek, and he wiped away her tear with his thumb, being careful of his claws. He wanted to kiss Marinette right there, but he knew that it would have been bad timing if he did. He also thought that Marinette would feel weird, kissing him with all of that hair and fur still on his face.

"Hurry and leave, Marinette. Your father needs you now more than ever." Cat Noir said. If Marinette stayed in front of him any longer, Cat Noir was sure that he would go back on his actions.

Marinette nodded, and she started to take her leave, in hurried footsteps. Cat Noir sadly watched Marinette run, but he was curious when she stopped for a second.

Marinette had remembered something, and then turned back to Cat Noir. She gave him a bittersweet smile, and she said, "Thank you... _Adrien_."

Cat Noir's eyes went wide. Marinette had called him "Adrien" for the very first time. She had always called him "Cat Noir" up until that very moment. His heart throbbed and his happiness soared at her use of his given name.

Marinette gave him a smile and one more nod before running out of the west wing. Cat Noir was tempted to go after her, but he knew he had no right. At the same time, seeing her leave broke his heart.

Marinette ran down the stairs, and then stopped in front of the door. She took one last look at her surroundings. The same surroundings that were once her prison, but were now another home to her.

She knew that up until he let her go, she was a prisoner to Adrien. Marinette also never thought she would refer to her "captor" by his real name at any time. The idea of of that happening was unthinkable up until that point.

The doors opened on their own, and then Marinette took this as her cue to leave. Without hesitation, she ran out the door, paying no mind that her dress or shoes were getting all covered in snow. Her father was more important at that moment.

Up on the stairs, Mrs. Chamack watched Marinette leave. She sighed sadly.

Back in Adrien's room, he had changed out of his suit and into his shirt, pants, and shredded cloak before going over to the rose. He was really depressed and heartbroken that Marinette had left.

Theo and the others came into the room to praise Adrien for his efforts.

"Nice one, Adrien!" Theo said. "I guess what they say is true: "true love conquers all." Hahaha!"

Adrien stood by the rose. He shook his head and sighed before saying, "I let her go."

Everyone immediately knew what he meant, and they were horrified.

"You did _WHAT?!_ " Theo shouted.

 _ **"DUDE!"**_ Nino shouted, completely appalled. "How could you do that?!"

"I had no choice. I had to let her go." Adrien merely said with a shrug.

"But... How?! _WHY?!_ " Theo asked, completely shocked.

Adrien did not answer right away. His ears drooped. But after feeling the pinpricks of the stares from the others, he said, "Because... Well..."

"...You love her, don't you?" Nadja said, finishing for Adrien.

Adrien replied, "Yes... I love her."

"But if that's the case, then why aren't we human, man?" Nino asked.

"Because the feeling's not mutual! _She_ doesn't love _him!_ And now it's too late!" Theo said, completely upset by the turn of events.

"Come on, guys! There's a chance she'll come back." Alya said, being optimistic.

"No. I set her free," Adrien said, shaking his head. "I just wish I could've done the same for everyone else. Now go... Our time's nearly up."

Everyone despondently began to leave Adrien's room. Nino wrapped his arm around Alya, while telling her, "Come on, my love."

After everyone left the room, Adrien was all by himself, standing in front of the rose. He sighed sadly, before beginning a song.

 _"I was the one who had it all. I was the master of my fate. I never needed anybody in my life. I learned the truth too late."_ Adrien sang, as he had miniature flashbacks of how the whole curse started and where he was now.

 _"I'll never shake away the pain."_ Adrien sang, as shook his head, feeling his heart break in pain. He loved Marinette so much, he had to let her go for her own happiness.

 _"I close my eyes, but she's still there!"_ He sang.

He closed his eyes, and he saw Marinette in front of him, as if he were reliving their dance all over again. Adrien thought about all of the happiness Marinette had given him, and how hurtful it was to have her leave. He was unsure if he could take it.

 _"I let her steal into my melancholy heart! It's more than I can bear!"_ Adrien sang, as he went out onto the balcony of his room.

 _"Now I know she'll never leave me. Even as she runs away."_ Adrien sang, while watching Marinette, who was now a speck of red, running for her horse to leave.

Adrien began climbing around the outer stairs of the tower. He remembered how Marinette would anger him by not doing what he expected from her, then helped him feel better when he got agitated by reading to him, or when he got hurt from the wolves. How she would blow him away emotionally with her kindness, everything.

He thought about all of his times with Marinette while singing, _"She will still torment me, calm me, hurt me, move me, come what may!"_

Adrien went inside a doorway, ran up the spiral stairs of the tower, and ran to another window to watch Marinette, while singing, _"Wasting in my lonely tower. Waiting by an open door..."_

Adrien sadly watched as Marinette had gotten on her horse and was riding through the gardens to leave.

 _"I'll fool myself she'll walk right in... And be with me forevermore."_ Adrien sang, sadly, hoping that Marinette would come back, run into his embrace, and they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Adrien kept running up the stairs, and he stopped at the next window, singing, _"I rage against the trials of love!"_

 _"I curse the fading of the light!"_ Adrien sang, as he went to the next opening, and then started crossing the stone bridge that connected to another tower.

He kept watching Marinette's departure, while walking across the bridge, and sang, _"Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach... She's never out of sight!"_

He reached the other side of the bridge, which led to another door to another tower. The same tower where he and Marinette had first met.

 _"Now I know she'll never leave me! Even as she fades from view!"_ Adrien sang, as he went inside the dungeon tower and started to climb the stairs.

 _"She will still inspire me, be a part of everything I do!"_ Adrien sang, as he remembered all of the inspiration that he had gotten from Marinette, every little detail about her that made everything he did worthwhile. How much she meant to him was something that Marinette would never know.

 _"Wasting in my lonely tower! Waiting by an open door..."_ Adrien sang, as he climbed to the top of the tower.

He walked outside, and sadly stood there, watching Marinette leave him. Due to the hurt he was feeling, he was unable to move.

 _"I'll fool myself she'll walk right in... And as the long, long nights begin..."_ Adrien sang, his voice breaking at some point, as Marinette kept riding through the gardens. _"I'll think of all that might've been..."_

Adrien imagined everything that could have been if he had not let Marinette go. The spell would be broken, he and Marinette would be happily wed, she and her father would have been reunited, etc...

 _"Waiting here forever... More~!"_ Adrien sang, holding the last note, making his voice carry all the way outside the palace walls.

The scene panned out to the front gate. Marinette, still in her dress, was riding on her horse to go back to Villeneuve to save her father. She had a determined facial expression. She looked back at the castle once more, and briefly had a sad look on her face.

She turned her face forward again, only for a tear to drop from her face as she rode to the rescue.

 _'Hang on, Papa... I'm on my way!'_ Marinette thought, steeling her nerves.

* * *

 **Poor Adrien! Our couple seems to have split up... Or have they?**

 **SPOILER ALERT BELOW - DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN KEEPING UP!**

 **For those who have been keeping up with the news for the show, it looks like two new characters are going to make things more complicated for our love square. I'm personally on the fence about this. On the one hand, I'm a fan of Marichat, LadyNoir, AND Adrinette, but I'm also intrigued by the potential of these new characters.**

 **And if you've been paying attention to the news, one of the new characters is a girl named Kagami that is going to be a fencing rival for Adrien, meanwhile the other one is Juleka's older brother, Luka! I WANT my ships to come to fruition as much as the next fan, but at the same time, if Luka and Kagami are going to be more well-rounded and likable characters like the creator plans, I guess I should probably keep an open mind. I just hope that in the end, Marinette and Adrien become and item in and out of the masks.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the final chapter!**

 **Back in Villeneuve, Marinette has to deal with Kim to save Tom! What is she going to do, and how will everyone react to the truth? Knowing how this story usually goes, I think you can guess...**

* * *

Back at the village, an entire crowd was roaring and getting all riled up over Tom's alleged insanity. The men had dragged Tom out of the tavern, with Max and Kim following behind him.

Two large, black horses were coming up to the tavern. They were being driven by the director of the asylum, and they were pulling a carriage that would bring Tom to the facility. One could equate the carriage itself as a prison on wheels, only in wood and it was not the final spot for the inmate.

The crowd was shoving Tom around and they were pushing him to the carriage car.

"Stop this! Tom doesn't need an asylum, he needs a hospital!" Sister Bustier protested. It seemed that she was the only one who advocated for Tom or believed him about anything.

However, no one listened to her as the door to the carriage opened up. Tom was shoved into the carriage and then Kim came to the door, still open.

"So, Tom. Have you ever _seen_ what the inside of the insane asylum is like?" Kim said, before scoffing. He had a very sinister smile on his face. "You wouldn't last an _hour_."

Tom was still hurt and tired, so he could not physically or verbally protest. He would rather be locked up and be thought a madman than fight an uphill battle. He only glared at Kim.

"All you have to do is let me marry Marinette, and you're free." Kim said, once again telling Tom the ultimatum: if he allows Kim to marry Marinette, then all will be back to normal.

"No." Tom bluntly said.

Frustrated over not getting the answer he wanted again, Kim shut the doors to the carriage and shouted, "Take him away!"

As the driver snapped the reigns, the horses started to leave the tavern. As they were riding, Tom was lying in the carriage. They were about to get a surprise, though.

The carriage and horses made a small distance away from the tavern. They were about to pass by the fountain in the town square, when Marinette rode in on Phillipe. The girl saw what was happening, and then she shouted, _"STOP!"_

As she blocked the asylum horses' path, the driver stopped them, causing the horses to whinny in surprise. Marinette immediately dismounted Phillipe and ran to the rear of the carriage.

"Ladybug!" Kim said, surprised that Marinette had come to the rescue. However, he was more surprised to see how Marinette looked. She was more beautiful than normal.

"Papa!" Marinette shouted, as she got up on the step to the carriage and held her father's hand through the bars in the window.

"Oh, Marinette! I was so afraid I lost you!" Tom said.

"Let him out! He's injured!" Marinette pleaded of the asylum director.

"Sorry, no-can-do, miss. But he's in good hands." He said.

Marinette got down, looked the director in the eyes, and she sternly said, "My father is _perfectly sane_! Kim, say something!"

"Ladybug, you know how faithful I am when it comes to you and Tom, but your father has been making some ridiculous allegations." Kim said, crossing his arms before gesturing to Tom with his hand.

"It's true, Marinette," Monsieur Dominick said, as he approached hesitantly. "He's been prattling on about a beast in a castle or something-or-other."

"That's where I've just come from! Papa isn't joking around! There _IS_ a beast there!" Marinette said, standing up for her father.

"I'm inclined to believe you, Marinette, but the truth is that you would say or do anything to save your father. Your word doesn't really hold much water." Kim said, with a shrug and a smirk.

He honestly did not believe anything about the beast at all. In fact, he found it to be complete balderdash. Kim had the whole scenario playing out in his mind. Marinette had come to save her father from being locked up, and if Kim knew Marinette, she would most likely do _anything_ it took to keep her father out of the madhouse. Kim was anticipating the following to happen: Marinette would plead for her father's freedom, and Kim would comply on the grounds that they would get married. Marinette would agree, and Kim would get what he wanted, end of story.

"Oh, so you want evidence, huh?" Marinette said, angrily. She took up the magic mirror, looked into it, and said, "Show me Adrien!"

In a flash of light, Adrien's melancholy profile appeared in the glass. She then showed everyone the image in the mirror, and Kim was in complete shock. He honestly thought that Tom had gone insane, but seeing this, he was completely surprised.

"How's _that_ for evidence?" Marinette asked, confident in her proof.

Kim, completely enraged, took the mirror away from Marinette, saying, "What the...?! Sorcery! Look at this _monster_..."

He showed the mirror to the crowd, shouting, _"LOOK AT HIS FANGS! HIS CLAWS!"_

Everyone was scared at the sight, save for Sister Bustier, Rochelle, and Max. They were all scared and frightened at seeing Adrien.

"No! Calm down, please! There's nothing to be scared of!" Marinette pleaded of the villagers. "Yes, he's a dork and tells awful cat puns, but... He's gentle! Kind! A sweetheart!"

Hearing this, Kim grew angry, and as he pointed the mirror at Marinette, he riled up the crowd by saying, "That monster has her under some sort of spell! If I didn't know better, I'd say she even had feelings for him!"

"His name is Adrien! And _he's_ not the monster, Kim! _YOU_ are!" Marinette declared, causing Kim to become shocked and for everyone to clamor. "Adrien wouldn't hurt a fly! He saved me from being maimed by wolves!"

Kim was angry and jealous at being called a monster, and he realized that the beast was the one Marinette loved instead of him. He then shouted, "I've never seen the effect of dark magic first-hand! _This monster is a threat to all of us!_ "

As he was riling up the crowd, Kim then said, "We can't have her running off to warn that thing. Lock her up, too!"

Marinette was scared as the asylum director opened the carriage and threw Marinette inside. She shouted, "You're not going to get away with this, Kim!"

Kim's rage grew, and Max, seeing how irrational this was, held him back by the arm and said, "Kim, with all due respect, I..."

Kim turned to Max, and angrily asked, "You want to be in there, too?!"

Max blanched and then he shook his head to tell Kim "no." Max was getting more and more afraid of his friend as time went on.

Kim, seeing that Max would be loyal to him to the end, darkly said, "Go get my horse."

As the door closed, Kim stepped up onto the carriage's step, held on to the carriage's window bar, and he shouted to the crowd, " _THIS BEAST WILL CURSE ALL OF US IF WE LET HIM LIVE!"_

Everyone was shouting and clamoring in agreement. The only ones who did not say anything were Sister Bustier and Rochelle. Rochelle herself turned away from the crowd for some reason.

 _"WELL, I SAY WE KILL THE BEAST!"_ Kim shouted, and everyone cheered and roared in agreement.

 _"We're not safe until he's dead!" "He'll come stalking us at night!"_ Some of the villagers sang.

 _"Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!"_ Monsieur Dominick sang, as Kim came into the crowd.

 _"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!"_ A woman sang.

 _"So it's time to take some action, boys! It's time to follow me!"_ Kim sang, as he took a torch, and then he threw it onto a carriage that had a lot of pieces of wood on it. It exploded into flames, and everyone in the village was getting riled up.

 _"Through the mist, through he woods, through the darkness and the shadows, its a nightmare but it's one excited ride."_ Kim sang, as he and everyone else in the village were getting ready to go after Adrien and kill him.

People were making weapons, the blacksmith was doing his thing, and everyone with the exceptions of Sister Bustier and Rochelle were working on something.

 _"Say a prayer and we're there at the drawbridge of a castle, and there's something truly terrible inside."_ Kim sang, as the asylum keeper locked the carriage and made to leave. Kim stopped him and made sure he stood guard.

 _"It's a beast! He's got fangs, razor-sharp ones! Massive paws, killer claws for the feast!"_ Kim sang, as some of the villagers tore down a fixture on a wall. It looked like a boar, and when it was ripped off the wall, it fell down and they decided to use it as a battering ram.

 _"Hear him roar, see him foam, but we're not coming home till he's dead!"_ Kim sang, as he mounted his horse and took up the mirror and the torch, and everyone cheered in agreement. _"Good and dead! Kill the beast!"_

 _"Light your torch, mount your horse!"_ The chorus sang, as they all started either walking behind the horses, or riding on horses out of the village. Sister Bustier tried to stop them, but she then ran out of the way to dodge the horses.

 _"Screw your courage to the sticking place!"_ Kim sang.

 _"We're counting on Sir Kim to lead the way!"_ The chorus sang, as they were all riding after Kim, with him in the lead. Kim was riding up the hill, along the path that Tom had showed him last time.

 _"Call it war, call it threat! You can bet they all will follow, for in times like this they'll do just as I say!"_ Kim sang.

Behind him, Max was riding on his horse, and he sang, _"There's a beast running wild, there's no question. But I fear the wrong monster's released."_

 _"Sally forth. Tally ho! Grab your sword! Grab your bow! Praise the Lord and here we go!"_ The chorus sang.

Kim stopped and then he asked the mirror, "Show me the castle."

An image of Adrien's castle soon appeared, and then Kim grew an evil smirk on his face.

Speaking of the castle, the staff were hanging around, having lost hope that Marinette would return.

"The good news is that Adrien's finally learned to love." Nino said, as he and Alya were waltzing for what they felt would be the last time.

"Yeah, but it's pointless if she doesn't feel the same way." Theo said.

"And I was hoping that she would, too..." Mrs. Chamack said, with a sigh.

They heard whinnying from outside, and Manon immediately hopped up to the windowsill.

"Did you hear that, mom? Is it her?! Is she coming back?!" Manon asked, coming to the window. Everyone else followed, hopeful that Manon was right and Marinette had come back.

"I knew it!" Alya said, with a big smile.

However, as Nino looked out the window, he said, "Crap! We've got invaders!"

He saw Kim leading the mob to the castle, and Nino started to rally the team to stop them.

"Intruders!" Mrs. Chamack said, as everyone made to head downstairs to go and stop the crow from getting to Adrien.

"So much for true love..." Theo scoffed, shaking his head. He immediately made to follow his friends.

As everyone ran down into the entrance area, Theo took charge and shouted, "Man the barricade and hold fast!"

Everyone pushed against the door, and the door itself also locked on its own. Ivan shouted, "Stand aside! I'm here to help!"

As he slid down the stairs, and ran to the door, everyone began singing, _"Hearts ablaze, banners high, we go marching into battle, unafraid although the danger's just increased!"_

Ivan used his weight to hold down the door while everyone else helped hold it back, too. They hoped that their collective weight would be enough to keep the door from opening.

 _"Raise the flag, sing the song! Here we come, we're fifty strong and fifty Frenchman can't be wrong!"_ The crowd sang. They had all gotten off of their horses and took some weapons, and they were all ready to break in.

 _"Let's kill the beast!"_ They sang, as they used the makeshift battering ram from the village to slam into the door.

At the sheer force of the blow, part of the door broke and flew inside the room. Seeing this, Theo realized that there were going to need some reinforcements and ran upstairs to get backup.

Back at the village, Marinette was still stuck in the carriage. She looked out the barred window and saw that the man in charge of the asylum was still around.

"Man! I have to get out of here and warn Adrien!" Marinette said, as she tried to look around for a way to break out of the prison.

"Wait. Warn him?" Tom asked. "How did you even _get away_ from him, anyway?"

Marinette got down on her knees and looked her father in the eyes. She said, "Adrien set me free. He let me come back to you!"

Tom looked at his daughter with incredulous eyes. He said, "I don't get it."

Marinette took something out of her satchel: the rose pen that she had found when she and Adrien visited Paris through the magical book.

"Where did you...?!" Tom asked, shocked at seeing the pen, and took it into his hand.

"He brought me there," Marinette said, showing her father the pen. Tom looked at his daughter with wide eyes. "I know what Maman's fate was."

Tom sighed, before telling her, "Then you know why I couldn't bring her with us. I had to keep _you_ safe. I've always tried to protect you. Maybe... Maybe it was a bit too much."

"Don't worry... I get it," Marinette said, before taking the pen and kissing it, just like Sabine did before she passed. "Now will you help me get out of here and save Adrien?"

"It isn't safe." Tom said.

"I know that," Marinette said. "I know that it's dangerous."

Marinette and Tom came to an understanding, and Tom had an idea.

"Lock picking. It's only a few springs and gears, after all," Tom said, as he reached his hands out of the window of the carriage and reached for the lock. Marinette was fiddling with her hair. "Now, I just need something like..."

Marinette held out the rose hairpin and gave it to Tom. Tom gave her a smile and then took it.

Back at the castle, Theo had ran up to the top of the tower to see Adrien was sitting there, brooding. Adrien was clearly tuning out all of the noise from the outside. He was so depressed that he was not bothered by all of the clamoring coming from down below.

"Adrien! I'm so sorry to bother you, but..." Theo began, as he approached Adrien.

"She's gone for good... She isn't coming back." Adrien stated, sadly.

He missed Marinette so much, but he knew that he had no right to regret his choice. All he wanted was his humanity back, but he threw that away when he decided that Marinette's happiness was much more important.

"Well, no..." Theo said, but then he got back to the issue at hand. "But there's a huge crowd downstairs and they're breaking down the doors!"

Adrien knew what Theo was trying to do: he wanted Adrien to come down and help fight off the people who dared try to hurt him.

"It's pointless... Let them come." Adrien sadly said. At that point, Adrien would rather _be_ dead than not have Marinette by his side. Once she left, he had lost his reason for living. She made him so happy - happier than he had even been in his whole life.

 _"Kill the beast! Kill the beast!"_ Everyone outside sang.

"This is useless!" Mrs. Chamack said, as she and Nino backed off.

"I have an idea!" Nino said, as he took charge for the moment.

 _"Kill the beast! Kill the beast! Kill the beast!"_ The mob outside chanted. They were still banging against the door.

The door unlocked itself and after the last shove, everyone tumbled inside the castle. It was completely dark, like no one was inside. Everyone slowly walked inside, being careful of the potential dangers lurking around, including Adrien.

Kim was at the head of the group, still holding the torch and the mirror in his hands.

"Isn't the potential that this place might be haunted freaking you out even a _little_ bit, Kim?" Max asked, as he came closer to Kim.

As Kim looked at the mirror, he said, "Keep it together, Max."

"Does... Is anyone else getting a sense of deja vu? It's like I've been in here before..." Monsieur Dominick said, as he was looking around the castle. Everyone else was looking around the castle.

Max noticed Mrs. Chamack and Manon on a teacart nearby. He walked over to them, and then teased to Manon, "Why, hello. You're the talking teacup, aren't you?"

However, he looked over to Mrs. Chamack, and said, "Then you must be her grandmother, huh?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Chamack broke character with an affronted gasp, and as steam billowed out of her spout, she shouted, "So, I'm an antique to you?! GET EM'!"

Max's eyes went wide as he backed off, Kim was surprised at this sudden occurrence, and then the furniture started to move, the fireplace light up, Nino light his wicks up, and gave everyone a friendly, "Hello!"

The staff were now all fighting back against the crowd. The chairs would trip people over, some of the taller pieces of furniture were beating up some of the villagers. The torches outside were even knocking some of the people out by hitting them on the heads.

Kim was shocked that this was happening, but he held his ground. Max ran over to Kim, and then the hatrack got their attention.

Kim immediately pushed Max to the hat rack, and then it started punching Max in the face like it were a boxing match. Kim was surprised that a furniture piece was wiping the floor with Max.

Once the fight was finished, Kim saw Ivan was looming over them.

"KIM!" Max shouted, as Kim backed off and Ivan fell on top of Max. As Ivan played a few notes as if Max were dying, Max looked up and reached out his hand.

"Kim... Help me..." Max said, weakly.

Kim merely looked down at Max in his sorry state, and merely shook his head.

"Sorry, buddy. It's hero time." Kim said, as he turned away from Max and started walking up the stairs to go and find Adrien. Max was in shock that Kim had abandoned him, and then he passed out.

Ivan snickered and said, "Ouch."

Back in Villeneuve, the asylum keeper noticed that the carriage door was unlocked. He rushed to the door, threw it open, and saw Marinette and Tom were gone.

Once he slammed the door shut, he saw Tom next to the carriage, and said, "Oh, hi. Here, this is yours."

He gave the lock back to the asylum keeper. A whinny of a horse was heard, and then Marinette rushed by, once again on Phillip. Tom waved to his daughter while Marinette gave Tom a smile. She had abandoned the bottom of the skirt of her dress and continued to ride to the castle.

"Haha. She's so stubborn," Tom laughed, before turning to his former captor. "You have kids?"

In the castle, Ivan had gotten off of Max. He sat up, and Alya started hitting him with her feathers. She said, "Hah! No one here to help you now!"

He tried to make a grab for Alya, but he missed, and only stood up.

Kim was climbing up the stairs in the west wing, and then he saw something out int he distance on the top of the tower. Realizing that this was his target, Kim immediately made to go after Adrien.

Back in the fight, Manon was shooting saucers out from underneath her, hitting all of the people who were coming after her and her friends.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..." Manon counted, as she shot one saucer after another, each hitting someone in the face.

"Great going, Manon, girl!" Theo said, from up top. Myléne and a staff member - turned into a table with books on top - arrived. "Nice, the infantry's here!"

He immediately directed the books down into the fight, and then he shouted, "Go _school_ em'!"

The books immediately took flight and started slamming themselves into the people down below, and Theo boasted, "Those are called "books," you second-rate knights!"

John, Dick, and Stanley looked up and then they immediately glared at Theo. Recognizing this, Theo immediately made a run for it and said, "I'm out!"

As the trio of men started running up the stairs with their swords, Theo was backed into a corner. As the men approached, Myléne got in front of him and said, "Come here, _little boys!_ "

She opened her doors and fabrics of all kinds spewed out of her doors, and she was singing happily, while saying, "I put it on, spinning you this way! Hah! Pretty, little boys!"

Once she was finished, the men were all in noblewomen's clothing, all in different colors. John and Stanley screamed and ran downstairs, but Dick only smiled and started walking down the stairs, happy to be in that sort of outfit.

"Go on, be free and happy!" Myléne sang, as she ushered the men off.

Marinette was riding on Phillipe, and they soon came into the snowy woods. Marinette had a very determined look on her face, not at all unnerved by the situation. She only had one goal: save Adrien.

While the fight was still going on, Myléne hoisted Mrs. Chamack onto the chandelier and she started pouring hot water onto the crowd. Those who were hit were screaming in pain, and then people slipped on the water on the floor.

"Like your tea piping hot? Or _scalding_?" She asked, loudly. However, she and Monsieur Dominick made eye contact, and she smiled. "Mr. Chamack!"

However, She fell from the chandelier and started screaming. Dominick was looking at her in confusion, but just as she was about to fall to the floor and break, Max caught her in his hands.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Nadja said, happy that she did not get smashed to pieces.

However, Max ducked when two men were about to hit them with longer weapons. When he ducked, the men wound up hitting each other. Nadja sprayed hot water in one man's face, and then Max delivered a right hook to the other man's face. Both men were down after that.

"Well done!" Nadja said, giving Max a smile, impressed with his fighting skills.

"I was on Kim's side, but he betrayed me. We're not in the best place right now." Max said, as he resumed chatting with Nadja.

"You deserve better," Nadja said sympathetically, as Max nodded in agreement. "Back to work, then?"

Max nodded, and then the two of them got back to fighting.

Ivan was using his legs to shove people out of the way, pushing them around and knocking them back.

"Haha! Such amazing music!" He sang, as he made ready to shoot his keys at his attackers.

"Silence that harpsichord!" A woman shouted.

"Uh-oh!" Ivan said, as he felt like he was backed into a corner.

"Maestro!" Myléne shouted from upstairs, as she made it to the railing.

"Myléne?! Finally!" Ivan said.

"I'm on my way! This is it!" Myléne said, as she jumped onto the railing. "The fat lady is singing!"

She vocalized as she jumped off the railing and then used her doors to knock one woman off of her feet and down the stairs.

"Bravo!" Ivan cheered, and then he started shooting his keys at everyone in the vicinity. Anyone who was hit was knocked onto the floor.

"Watch your feet, peeps!" Nino shouted. He used his flames to light some gunpowder trails that were on the floor. The explosions of sparks were scaring everyone out of the castle.

Everyone was screaming and leaving the castle, save for Max.

However, one person was unfazed by everything, and just continued to climb the stairs: Rochelle. She seemed to be focused on one thing.

"Have a good trip on your way back to the village!" Nino called.

"And stay out!" Theo shouted. The two of them shared a high-five.

Outside of the castle, Marinette had made it. She was looking up to the castle, ignoring everyone around her. Adrien was in there, potentially in danger, and she knew she had to do something.

Kim had climbed the tower's spiral staircase. Once he made it outside to the top of the tower, he saw his target. Adrien was just standing there, not paying attention to anything.

Now that he found his proxy, Kim threw his torch over the edge of the tower. He held up his rifle right at Adrien, and smirked with an evil glint in the eye.

"Hello, _beast,_ " Kim said, refusing to use Adrien's given name. Adrien slowly turned to him, but he did not say a word. "The name's Kim. _Ladybug_ sent me here."

Adrien once again did not answer. He turned away, ignoring Kim. He also was skeptical of Kim's claim, since his name never came up in conversations with Marinette.

"Are you in love with her?" Kim mockingly inquired. "Did you seriously think that she'd want you?"

Adrien once again refused to make a sound. He honestly felt that he and Marinette had a chance, and knew that Kim was lying. He just ignored Kim and his face went from lonely to outright depressed.

However, Kim pulled the trigger and then the bullet shot Adrien in the back. The force of the shot caused Adrien to growl in pain and then he fell off the ledge of the tower.

His cloak fell off, and Adrien immediately caught onto the cone roof of the next tower. He caught his breath and immediately snapped out of his depressed state of mind.

 _'Crap! Who is this guy?! He claims that Marinette sent him to kill me? I don't believe that for one second!'_ Adrien thought, as he started to climb the tower roof, but he kept slipping. Even his claws could not get a firm grip on the shillings.

Kim saw that Adrien had survived, and then he took out his crossbow. He reached for his quiver, but he saw it was empty.

When he turned around, he saw Marinette behind him. She was glaring at him and she had his arrows in her hand.

"Ladybug!" Kim said, in surprise.

Marinette broke the arrows over her knee and then threw them away. The crossbow was useless now.

"Where is Adrien?! What did you do to him?!" Marinette demanded, as Kim discarded the crossbow.

Rather than answer her questions, Kim said, "When we get back to the village, you and I will be married."

Marinette saw what was going on. Kim was reaching for his rifle again and she knew he would shoot.

"And that beast's head will be the sign of our union!" Kim said, as he got out the gun.

"Never!" Marinette shouted, as she grabbed for the weapon.

The two of them struggled with each other to get the rifle, but then the ground beneath Kim crumbled. He slipped, the gun flew out of his hands, and then he fell to the ledge underneath.

Kim saw that the rifle had fallen to the ground on a lower ledge on the tower across from him. He made to go after Adrien. Marinette was relieved for a second; she had bought Adrien some time.

"I'm coming for you, beast!" Kim shouted.

Adrien himself kept climbing the rooftops and hoping from one to another to get to solid ground. Marinette chased after Kim to stop him, and then when he crossed a bridge, he slid down the roof and jumped off the round window.

Marinette crossed the same bridge, and she saw it fall apart; she jumped across and landed into another tower. She saw what had happened and she made to catch up to Adrien and get to him before Kim could. She ran to a window and saw Adrien climbing up another roof to higher ground.

Seeing him slip, Marinette shouted, _"NO!"_

"Marinette?" Adrien said, hearing her voice. He saw her in the distance, and then he swung around to face her, before jumping to another roof. _"LADYBUG! You came back!"_

 _"I tried to stop them!"_ Marinette shouted.

"Stay put! I'm on my way!" Adrien shouted back. This did not go unnoticed by Kim. After everything, Kim was still frustrated that Marinette wanted Adrien instead.

Adrien started hopping from one roof to another to reach Marinette. He leaped to one ledge, slipped, but he managed to climb up onto the ledge. He started to walk, but then some stone from the ledge above him fell on top of him. Kim landed in front of him, grabbed a fixture from the roof nearby to use as a club. Marinette immediately made to try and reach Adrien when she saw this.

Kim slammed the makeshift weapon onto Adrien, and he was slammed into the wall. Kim used the club to knock Adrien onto another crumbling bridge. As Kim approached to deliver the final blow, Adrien was growing weak. That bullet that hit him in the back was no help, either. Kim kicked Adrien further, meanwhile Marinette was running down the stairs outside the tower she had exited.

 _"KIM! KNOCK IT OFF!"_ Marinette shouted.

Hearing her voice, Adrien grew angry. He found his reason to fight. Kim was after Marinette, and he was not going to stop until Adrien did something. As Kim was about to hit him with the club again, Adrien turned around and grabbed it with his paw, stopping it. He growled while glaring at Kim. He stood up, knocked the club away, and then he grabbed Kim by the neck.

Adrien held Kim over the edge of the tower. Should Adrien drop him, Kim would fall to his death. Marinette gasped in shock and covered her mouth when she realized what Adrien could very well do. He was very tempted to let this be Kim's fate, but then...

"Please... Don't let me go! Please...!" Kim begged, as he clutched Adrien's paw. He was scared, and was fearful for his life. "Don't hurt me. There's nothing I won't do... Just have mercy, beast..."

Adrien's expression softened. Yes, Kim had barged into the castle to try and do away with him, all because he wanted Marinette. But Adrien knew better. He slowly pulled Kim closer.

"My name... is _Adrien_. And I am _not_ a beast." He said in a low voice, and then he threw Kim aside onto the ground with a snarl. Kim immediately scrambled up and started to run.

"Go! Leave this place!" Adrien shouted, as he saw Kim make a run for it. Adrien then made eye contact with Marinette, backed up, and got down on all fours.

Marinette knew what he was going to do: Adrien would jump the ledge to reach her.

"No! It's too far!" Marinette begged.

Adrien ignored this warning, ran and then he jumped. He gabbed onto the ledge, and then he climbed up. He stood up and smiled at Marinette. The moment was interrupted, however, when another bang was heard. Adrien roared in pain and fell forward. Kim was on the bridge and he had once again shot Adrien.

Marinette dove to Adrien's side and tried to help him get up. Kim glared and then he made to shoot again. He did not notice the structure of the bridge was crumbling from underneath.

 _"KIM! Leave him alone!"_ Marinette shouted, trying her best to get Kim to stop. However, Kim ignored this plea and shot Adrien in the back again, and this time the blast forced Adrien into his room, tumbling.

He was on his back, breathing heavily from the pain.

Marinette ran to his side and laid on top of him. Kim was still dead-set on seeing Adrien dead, but then the bridge completely fell apart beneath him.

He screamed as he fell down from the bridge. Once a dull thud was heard, it was clear that Kim was no more.

Back in the room of the west wing, Marinette was lying over Adrien. She held one of his paws while her other hand was supporting his head.

"Marinette... You've come back to me..." Adrien said, with labored breathing.

"Naturally," Marinette said, happy to see Adrien again, almost moved to tears. "And I'm not leaving again!"

"No... I'm the one who has to leave this time." Adrien said, with a sad smile. He knew that that last bullet got him, and he was about to die.

"We're reunited..." Marinette said in a whisper. "Everything will be okay."

"At least I got to see you... one last time... m'lady..." Adrien said, as he used the last of his strength to caress Marinette's face.

The final petal on the rose detached from the stem and started to fall.

However, once Adrien's hand left Marinette's cheek, his arm fell to his side on the ground, his eyes lost the light in them, grew dull in color, rolled into the back of his head, and then his head hit the floor. He was gone.

"No! Please, no!" Marinette begged, her eyes widened with horror. Tears started to fall and she began to cry. "Come back, please!"

At that moment, the petal hit the pile, turned black, and shriveled up. Marinette laid her face on his chest and started to sob.

Outside the main door, Nino was cheering that they had driven the invaders out.

"Victory's ours, Alya!" Nino said, as he spun Alya around in his arms. However, all he heard was a moan. "Alya? ALYA!"

Nino saw that the feather duster in his arms was completely still. Nino knew what was going on: the final petal fell and they were out of time.

"Oh, _mon chéri_ Alya... No..." Nino said, as he gently laid his beloved in the snow, and was on his hands and knees, standing over her. He was heartbroken, too.

Everyone else was slowing down and getting weak from the curse taking affect.

"Maestro..." Myléne said, as she tried to speak to her boyfriend one last time. "You were the bravest I've ever seen you. Adieu, my love."

She shut her doors, never to open again. Ivan, desperate, shouted, "Amour! No! Stay with me!"

However, his keys stopped playing, and his candles went out. The spell had taken him over, too.

"Manon! Manon! Has anyone seen her?! She took off!" Nadja shouted, as she was rolling on her teacart.

Everyone failed to answer. They did not see Manon, and they were also a little more preoccupied with the fact that the curse was taking over and rendering itself permanent.

"Where is my baby girl?!" Nadja shouted, as her face faded away on the teacup.

"MOM!" Manon shouted, as she started to fall to the ground. However, the hatrack caught her just in time; her saucer shattered, but her face had also faded away. The hatrack put her on the tea rack and then he also stood utterly still.

Seeing their friends had fallen to the spell, Nino and Theo were the last ones remaining. They turned to each other to say their last words.

"Nino... I... Can't... Talk..." Theo began, his speech being inhibited by "ticking" from the spell's effect.

"Don't worry, Theo. You don't have to say anything." Nino said, sadly.

"No... Nino, mon amie... Serving with you... was an honor." Theo said, before he was still, now a permanent clock.

"No... It was MY honor." Nino said, before spinning around, losing his face, and his candles went out.

Everyone was gone. The spell was permanent. They were too late.

Back in Adrien's room, Rochelle had entered and immediately made for the rose for some reason. It was if she knew something.

"Come back! Please don't leave!" Marinette begged, her eyes still wet with tears. She was grieving over the loss, and she was hoping and praying that he would come back. There was no response.

"Je'taime!" Marinette said, admitting her true feelings for her beastly cat.

Rochelle's eyes widened for a second before giving a nod and a warm smile. Marinette kissed Adrien's forehead before crying into her hands. Rochelle lifted her hand near the rose, and the rose started to rebuild itself, almost as if time went in reverse. Rochelle then snapped her fingers, and the bell dome shattered into small lights.

She gently pointed her palm at Adrien, and yellow magic and the rose petals started swirling around him. Rochelle let down her hood to reveal that she had red hair. She revealed herself as the enchantress, and was smiling as she watched the scene unfold.

 _'He may have been late, but he met the goal. He never deserved any of this, so this is my way of apologizing.'_ Rochelle thought, as she watched the magic do its work.

Marinette, surprised, stood up, and backed off. Adrien was lifted into the air, and then something began to change.

His paws started to shift. The claws shrunk down, his hair turned into a peach skin tone with a slight tan to it, and his hands went from the paws of a cat to the hands of a human. Marinette watched in awe as the same thing happened to his feet and legs, all the way up.

Rochelle immediately made herself scarce; she knew the lovers would want some alone time.

As soon the transformation was over, Adrien was gently set down on the ground on his feet. He had his back to Marinette, he looked all over his body, and Marinette saw that the man before her was different from the beast she had come to know.

As he started examining himself, he smiled and chortled a bit. He turned around to face Marinette.

Marinette saw the man before her was only about a few inches taller than her, his hair was blonde and well-groomed, and his eyes were emerald green. He was wearing the same clothes as the beast did. He also had a slight tan to his skin tone, too. Marinette recognized him as the boy from the painting in the room, and the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together.

Marinette slowly approached, and all he did was smile at her. As she gently put her hand to his face, she looked into his eyes. While they were not cat-like anymore, she recognized those green eyes anywhere.

"My lady!" Adrien said. Recognizing his nickname for her, Marinette realized that this was her beastly cat.

"Adrien?" Marinette asked, with a hopeful smile on her face.

Adrien nodded, a huge smile gracing his own face. He immediately gave Marinette a hug and said, "Yes. It's me, Bugaboo. You saved me."

"But how...?" Marinette asked.

She knew that the spell had been broken, but she did not know how it happened. She felt like she was owed an explanation, but Adrien merely shook his head.

"I'll explain later, mon cher," Adrien said, as he once again looked Marinette in her blue eyes. "For now..."

Adrien gently caressed her cheeks with his hands, and then the two of them shared a kiss. One of Adrien's hands moved from Marinette's face to her waist, and he kept kissing her. His eyes were closed and he was reveling in pure bliss. Marinette dug one of her hands into his hair and her other hand was on his cheek. She was kissing back, absolutely ecstatic that Adrien was alive. As they held their kiss, the castle started to rebuild itself, as if the clock was turning back. As the castle restructured itself, the sun rose. The light from the sun not only brightened up the castle, but the more eerie fixtures of the castle turned into something more majestic, more worthy of the palace. The dragons turned into knights and they went from stone to gold fixtures, for example.

The snow evaporated, the trees grew their green leaves, flowers bloomed, and birds started coming back. As the magic was being lifted from the castle, everyone seemed to change back. The first were Myléne and Ivan, who wasted no time in hugging each other and giving each other kisses and laughs. However, Ivan would need to see the dentist later, since many of his teeth had been removed through all the fighting.

The spell immediately reversed on Theo. When he emerged, he was a man with brown hair tied up in a bun, a soul patch, had brown eyes, and a brown skin tone. He saw that he had become a human again and whooped with joy.

In front of him, Nino had changed back. He had brown skin and shorter, brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was also wearing glasses and staff uniform.

"Hey, Nino!" Theo said.

Nino smiled and said, "I told you we'd beat the clock, dude!"

A pile of feathers blew up nearby and Nino immediately recognized it as Alya. He ran over to the feather pile, and a hand reached out. Nino took the outstretched hand, delighted at feeling her human skin against his own for the first time in ages.

"Alya! Oh, mon amour!" Nino said, as he pulled Alya out from the pile. She had brownish-red hair that went slightly past her shoulders with lighter tips, tan skin, hazel-green eyes, and was also wearing glasses.

Nino could not help himself. He dove in for a kiss, which Alya happily shared with him. However, it appeared an ember or two was still on Nino, as smoke started coming out from atop his head.

"Hahaha!" Alya said, as she put the fire out on Nino's head by brushing her hand around his head. "Getting a little _fired up_ from that kiss, aren't we?"

"I'm just happy we're back to normal!" Nino said while ignoring the pun, before kissing Alya once more.

Immediately after, Nadja and Manon changed back. Nadja was wearing a dress, and she smiled. She had short, fuchsia hair, brown eyes, fair skin, stood at medium height, and had pink lips. Manon was shorter than her mom, had tan skin, brown eyes, two front buck teeth, and had brown hair tied back into pigtails.

"Manon! Look at you! You're a little girl again! I knew it would happen!" Nadja said, as she picked up her daughter and spun her around to hug her.

Everyone from the village had came back to the castle. Since the spell had broken, the memories were restored to everyone.

"Sweetheart?" Dominick said, as he approached Nadja and Manon.

"Mr. Chamack!" Nadja said.

"Nadja! Now I remember!" Dominick said, as he shared a group hug and shared kisses with his wife and daughter.

Rochelle watched with a smile. Everything worked out, and her only regret was letting the whole mess happen to begin with. On the other hand, the king would not be able to interfere with anything anymore, so she was forgiven for _that_ , at least.

"Theo?" A girl with short blue hair, brown eyes, and fair skin said, as she approached.

"Mireille?" Theo asked, turning around to address the girl.

"Theo!" She shouted, as she ran and hugged him. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too." Theo said, as the two of them hugged.

While the happy reunion went on, Alya noticed something, and said, "Look, Nino!"

Adrien and Marinette walked out of the door to the castle. They were holding hands, and then Nino smiled.

"Oh, my prince!" Nino said, delivering a formal bow while Alya did a curtsy.

"Nino, there's no need for formalities! It's great to see you again as a human, buddy!" Adrien said, as he and Nino shared a fist bump, then a hug.

"Girl, you saved our lives!" Alya said, as she bowed to Marinette. She smiled in return.

"Hey, Marinette! It's me, Manon!" Manon said, as she and Marinette shared a hug.

Everyone continued celebrating the end of their curse, and no one was happier than Marinette and Adrien.

A few weeks later, Marinette and Adrien were married. The two of them were so happy that they were certain that nothing but pure bliss awaited them in the future.

 _"Tale as old as time! Tune as old as song!"_ Myléne sang, as she and the orchestra were playing a song. _"Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change! Learning you were wrong!"_

Everyone was dancing in the ballroom, and the couple of the hour were in the center. Marinette was in a red wedding dress that she had sewn herself, and Adrien was in the same suit that he had worn the last time they had danced. Marinette's hair was done in the same way as last time, only there was another rose in her hair.

Everyone else was in white, and they were all dancing with their respective partners. Even Max had joined in.

The tempo slowed a bit as Marinette and Adrien started to dance together again.

Tom was sitting on the sidelines, painting a picture of the scene.

 _"Winter turns to spring,"_ Nadja sang as the tempo of the music slowed down. Meanwhile, everyone else danced at the same pace, with the happy pair in the center. _"Dusk will turn to dawn. Nature points the way, nothing left to say. Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_

Tom smiled and nodded. After everything had been resolved, Tom was informed of what happened, all the way from the spell's casting to the moment that the spell broke. After he had come to grips that Prince Adrien was the same person that had given him such grief over picking a rose, he gave their union his blessing.

Seeing her father on the sidelines, Marinette giggled.

"What's the matter, Bugaboo?" Adrien inquired with a cocked eyebrow and a smile.

"How would you feel about growing a mustache?" Marinette asked, giggling.

"No way! I've had enough of having hair on my face." Adrien laughed, and then he gave a teasing growl. He sounded exactly the same as he did when the two of them first met. He immediately kissed her hand and then they went back to waltzing.

 _"Certain as the sun, bright as any star. Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_ Everyone sang.

Once Max had changed partners, he started waltzing with Dick, and the two of them made eye contact. They smiled and blushed, and then they laughed as they went back to dancing.

As they began traveling, Adrien and Marinette once again got their bodies closer to each other.

 _"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Coccinelle et Chat Noir."_

Marinette and Adrien once again did a spin together, and then Adrien pulled Marinette close. Marinette's eyes and heart were alight with joy as she found the man of her dreams.

Adrien could not resist. He purred a bit, immediately dipped Marinette down a bit, and gave her a huge kiss on her lips. Marinette hugged Adrien by the neck and popped a leg. Everyone applauded as the newlyweds were enjoying each others' company and had no qualms about public displays of affection.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Story is done and I hope you enjoyed the show. If you want more Miraculous Ladybug romance one-shots or stories from me, PM me or let me know in a review.**


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